BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's soccer team closed out the regular season schedule with a 1-0 Senior Day victory over Montana State Billings on Saturday at Harrington Field.

 

WWU sent its seven-player senior class off in style playing their final game at Harrington Field, with a 75th-minute penalty kick goal by junior midfielder Gracen Crosby providing the game-winner.

 

The Vikings completed the regular season with an 11-4-4 overall record and placed second in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings at 9-2-3. WWU will be the No. 2 seed in the GNAC Championships next week opening play with the semifinals Thursday at a to-be-determined time (and opponent) at Tomlinson Stadium in Ellensburg.

 

"Today was all about our seniors and it was really great to see them celebrated on their day. They mean so much to our program and I can't thank them enough for their consistent dedication to our program. They are an amazing group of people and we can't wait to see all the great things they will go on and accomplish," said WWU head coach Travis Connell.

 

With the score line deadlocked at 0-0 through the first 74 minutes of action on Saturday, WWU broke through early in the 75th minute for the deciding goal. Sophomore midfielder Morgan Manalili drew a foul in the box by MSUB defender Vendela Andersson and Crosby converted from the spot with a right-footed penalty kit inside the right post. Crosby is perfect 3-for-3 on penalty kick opportunities this season.

 

WWU's defense logged its league-leading 11th shutout of the season while holding the Yellowjackets to nine shots (3 shots on goal). Western senior goalkeeper Claire Henninger made a trio of saves to log her 21st career clean sheet to tie for fifth in program history.

 

"These are challenging games. There are a lot of emotions you have to manage on Senior Day and coming off a tough game on Thursday," added Connell. "We persevered today and figured out a way to get the victory. This result bodes well heading into the postseason with one more tool in our toolbelt as we take on the next challenge."

 

MSUB had its season come to a close finishing at 5-9-3 overall and placed sixth in the conference at 4-8-2. Starting goalkeeper Clare Keenan made three saves in 69 scoreless minutes.

 

The Vikings (11-4-4, 9-2-3 GNAC) head into the postseason at the No. 2 seed for the GNAC Championships with the semifinal games played Thursday at Tomlinson Stadium in Ellensburg. The complete 2023 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/23_WSOC.

 

Western Washington 1, Montana State Billings 0

Date: November 4, 2023

Field: Harrington Field   Site: Bellingham, WA

Attendance: 181

 

Goals by period                 1  2    Tot

--------------------------------------------

Montana St. Billings..........  0  0  -  0

Western Washington............  0  1  -  1

 

SCORING SUMMARY:

1.      74:15     WWU     Crosby (PK)

 

Shots: WWU 19, MSUB 9

Shots on Goal: WWU 6, MSUB 3

Saves: WWU 3 (Henninger – 3), MSUB 5 (Keenan – 3, Sallvin - 1)

Corners: WWU 4, MSUB 0

Fouls: MSUB 14, WWU 11

Offsides: WWU 4, MSUB 1

Kits: WWU (Light Blue), MSUB (White)

Records: WWU (11-4-4, 9-2-3), MSUB (5-9-3, 4-8-2)

 

Prior to the start of Saturday's regular-season finale the Vikings recognized the seven-player senior class with an on-field ceremony. Katie Watt, Claire Henninger, Payton Neal, Jayden Nguyen, Abigail Trengove, Chloe Unflat and Ellie Busik played their final regular-season game at Harrington Field. The group has combined for one of the best stretches in program history dating back to 2019, with the Vikings going 72-15-13 while playing in a pair of national championship games and winning the 2022 title.

WWU swept the season series vs. MSUB also gaining a 3-1 win on October 12 in Billings. The Vikings extended their unbeaten streak to 22 straight and have won the last 21 meetings vs. the Yellowjackets. WWU leads the all-time series 29-3-2 and are 14-1-2 in home games vs. MSUB (8-0-0 at Harrington Field).

 

Here is a look at the GNAC standings through the afternoon games played on Saturday, with the Vikings finishing second in the table with 30 points. WWU will be the No. 2 seed in the GNAC Championships and will play either Western Oregon or Simon Fraser on Thursday in the semifinals in Ellensburg:

 

 

Here is a look at Western's record breakdown for the 2023 season:

 

 

Here is a look at the Vikings 2023 schedule and results:

 

 

WWU has punched its ticket to the postseason securing one of the four spots in the GNAC Championships to be held November 9-11 in Ellensburg at Tomlinson Stadium. The Vikings have now advanced to play in all 11 GNAC Tournaments and are six-time champions of the postseason championships (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022).

 

Fans can follow WWU women's soccer online at WWUVikings.com/WSOC, and via social media on Twitter (@WWU_WSoccer), Instagram (@wwu_wsoccer) and Facebook (@WWUsoccerwomens). 

 

The Western Washington University women's soccer program has risen to the top of the Division II ranks, with a string of 10 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Championships and a pair of national championships in 2016 and 2022. WWU has advanced to the NCAA II Final Four in five of the last nine seasons and played for the West Region championship in nine of the last 10 seasons (seven consecutive). The Vikings won the 2022 title with a 2-1 win over No. 1 nationally-ranked West Chester, played for the 2019 national title and won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2016 with an undefeated 24-0-1 record, beating three-time defending national champion Grand Valley State 3-2 in the title game in Kansas City, Missouri. The program has claimed eight of the last 11 Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season titles (2022 Champions) and won five of the last seven GNAC Tournament titles (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022). Head coach Travis Connell is in his 21st season leading the program in 2023 (28th overall at WWU) and has led the Vikings to 12 trips to the NCAA Championships (10 straight) and 19 consecutive winning seasons.