BELLINGHAM, Wash. – It's November, which means it is postseason time for the Western Washington University women's soccer team.

 

WWU enters the postseason as the No. 2 seed for the GNAC Championships that will be played at Tomlinson Stadium in Ellensburg with semifinal games on Thursday (4 & 7 pm) and the championship game on Saturday (1 pm). The Vikings will play No. 3 Western Oregon in the first semifinal with No. 1 Seattle Pacific taking on No. 4 Simon Fraser at 7 pm. All games will stream live on GNAC.tv.

 

The Vikings enter the postseason with an 11-4-4 overall record and earned the No. 2 seed by placing second in the GNAC table with a 9-2-3 conference record. Over the last 11 seasons, WWU has finished first nine times and second three times in the GNAC regular-season standings.

 

WWU is receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Division II Poll and is listed No. 4 in the NCAA II West Region rankings, creating a strong resume for an 11th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championships. The Vikings are the defending national champions after winning the second title in program history in 2022.

 

Western has now appeared in all 11 GNAC Championships since the tournament debuted in 2012, reaching the championship game each time. The Vikings are the defending GNAC Tournament champions winning the program's sixth title a year ago in Nampa, Idaho.

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
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The 2023 GNAC Women's Soccer Championships will be held November 9-11 at Tomlinson Stadium in Ellensburg, Washington on the Central Washington University campus. Seattle Pacific earned the No. 1 seed winning the regular season title, with WWU at No. 2, Western Oregon at No. 3 and Simon Fraser No. 4. WWU and WOU open the championships with the first semifinal at 4 pm, followed by SPU and SFU at 7 pm. The championship match will be played on Saturday with kickoff at 1p m. The winner of the GNAC Championships will receive the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA regionals. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at GNACTickets.com. The tournament will also feature a live webcast on YouTube on GNAC.tv (search gnacsports on YouTube). 

 

 

WWU won its sixth GNAC Championships title in 2022 adding to postseason conference titles won in 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019. WWU has advanced to play in the championship game in all 10 previous GNAC Tournaments and is 16-2-2 all-time in the GNAC postseason. WWU and SPU are the only teams to qualify for every GNAC Tournament and have combined for nine of the 10 titles (WWU 6, SPU 3, Concordia 1).

 

 

Led by senior goalkeeper Claire Henninger being selected as the Defensive Player of the Year, the Western Washington University women's soccer team had seven players selected to the 2023 GNAC All-Conference team. Joining Henninger as First Team All-GNAC selections are sophomore midfielder Morgan Manalili and sophomore defender Asia Hardin. Senior midfielder Payton Neal and junior midfielder Gracen Crosby were second-team selections, and senior defender Jayden Nguyen and junior defender Halle Noel were honorable mention picks.

Senior goalkeeper Claire Henninger joined elite company being selected as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year. Since the award was started in 2010, a Viking has earned the honor seven out of 13 years. Henninger is just the second goalkeeper to earn the award, joining first-year winner Maddie Dickinson from SPU. Henninger was also a unanimous First Team All-GNAC selection while leading the league with the lowest goals against average (0.496), highest save percentage (.857) and tied for the most shutouts (9). Here is a look at the GNAC Defensive Players of the Year:

 

·         2010 - Maddie Dickinson, SPU (GK)

·         2011 - Taylor Sawyer, SPU (D)

·         2012 - Brina Sych, WWU (D)

·         2013 - Brianna Jones, WWU (D)

·         2014 - Kim Cooper, WWU (M)

·         2015 - Delanee Nilles, WWU (D)

·         2016 - Emily Webster, WWU (M)

·         2017 - Ana Delgadillo, CU (D)

·         2018 - Julia DeVere, SPU (D)

·         2019 - Emily Nelson, WWU (D)

·         2020 - Not Awarded - COVID-19

·         2021 - Madison Ibale, SPU (D)

·         2022 - Hannah Rispler, WOU (D)

·         2023 - Claire Henninger, WWU (GK)

 

The tournament will feature a live webcast on YouTube on GNAC.tv (search gnacsports on YouTube).

 

WWU has only two defeats over its last 15 games going 9-2-4 during this stretch dating back to September 18. The Vikings had an eight-game undefeated streak snapped (7-0-1) last Thursday in a 2-0 home loss to Seattle Pacific. WWU completed the regular season 2nd place in the GNAC with a 9-2-3 record (30 points).

 

The Vikings finished the regular season with 11 victories (11-4-4), marking the 17th consecutive full season to record double-digits in victories. WWU has an active streak of 19 consecutive seasons with a winning record, one of the longest streaks in NCAA Division II.

 

The final edition West Regional Women's Soccer Rankings were released Wednesday, with the Vikings listed No. 4 for the second consecutive week. A total of eight teams are ranked regionally during the regular season, with the top six teams advancing to play in the West Regional Championships. Here is a look at the current West Regional Rankings with the program's overall record through games played on November 5:

 

 

Here is a look at the final GNAC table for the 2023 season, with the Vikings placing second behind Seattle Pacific. WWU heads into the postseason with an 11-4-4 overall record and finished 9-2-3 (30 points) in conference play. The top four teams in the standings have advanced to play in the GNAC Championships in Ellensburg:

 

 

Over the last 11 full seasons dating back to 2012, the Vikings have finished first in the GNAC regular standings eight times and in second place three times. 

 

Sophomore midfielder Morgan Manalili has been gaining momentum as the regular season winds down, scoring five of her team-leading six goals over the last seven games. The 2022 GNAC Freshman of the Year and an All-West Region selection has combined for 16 goals and eight assists (40 points) in 45 career games as a Viking. Manalili also has 10 game-winning goals to rank among the top five in program history during the NCAA II era (since 1998).

 

Senior Claire Henninger is tied for the GNAC lead with nine shutouts this season. Henninger also leads the conference with a 0.496 goals against average, a mark that ranks 19th in NCAA II. The five-year letterwinner has appeared in 53 games (43 starts) while recording 21 career shutouts to tie for 5th-most in program history. Her career 0.54 goals against average is listed 4th-lowest in WWU history and she owns an all-time 30-6-7 record between the pipes.

 

The Vikings navigated a tough October stretch undefeated, going 7-0-1 in conference play. WWU combined to go 4-0- in home games at Harrington Field during the month and 3-0-1 on the road. 

 

Here is a look at the series history between the Vikings and three teams in the GNAC Championships Field:

 

·         No. 1 Seattle Pacific: Went 0-1-1 during the regular season vs. SPU, tying 1-1 at Interbay Stadium and falling 2-0 at Harrington Field in Bellingham…SPU narrowly leads the all-time series 24-23-8 with Western holding a 19-6-5 record in the last 30 meetings dating back to October 2013…the Vikings had a 21-game unbeaten streak vs. the Falcons from 2013-21…WWU is 4-1-2 all-time vs. SPU in GNAC Championships play, with the two ties resulting in penalty-kick shootout victories for the Falcons.

·         No. 3 Western Oregon: The Vikings and Wolves split the season series with each winning 1-0 on their home field…the Vikings are 41-8-2 all-time vs. WOU and is 2-0-0 vs. the Wolves in GNAC Championships games.

·         No. 4 Simon Fraser: Swept SFU during the regular season winning 2-0 at home and 2-1 on the road…3-0-0 vs. SFU in GNAC Championships play…WWU has won 25 consecutive matches vs. SFU and are unbeaten over the last 29 games (27-0-2)…Vikings lead the all-time series 37-17-3 (2-0-0 neutral).

 

Seniors Katie Watt and Payton Neal are both climbing the program all-time list for career games played, with both players beginning their careers during the 2019 national runner-up season. Watt has appeared in 89 career games to rank tied for 9th in program history, and is the only player to start in a pair of national championship games. Neal is right behind Watt with 88 career caps to rank tied for 11th in WWU history. Here is a look at the WWU all-time top-10 for career games played:

 

 

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

 

 

News and notes on the 2023 WWU Women's Soccer team:

 

·         The Record – 11-4-4 overall record, 9-2-3 in GNAC play (2nd place).

·         Ticket Punched – Vikings is the No. 2 seed for the GNAC Championships that will be held Nov. 9-11 at Tomlinson Stadium in Ellensburg.

·         Defensive Player of the Year – Claire Henninger was selected as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, just the second goalkeeper to earn the award since its debut in 2010.

·         Strong Defense – WWU leads the GNAC and ranks 34th nationally with a 0.684 goals against average.

·         Regional Rankings – Listed No. 4 in the West Regional rankings…six teams from the West will advance to the 2023 NCAA II Women's Soccer Championships with first & second round action scheduled for November 16-18.

·         Home Cooking – Went 7-1-1 at Harrington Field during the regular season (4-3-3 on the road).

·         GNAC Table – Finished 2nd in the GNAC standings with 30 points (9-2-3).

·         Four Straight at Harrington – WWU ended the regular season with four consecutive home games (3-1-0) after going on a four-game, three-state, one-province road trip (3-0-1 record).

·         GNAC Championships – Top four teams in the GNAC standings at the end of the regular season qualify for the 2023 GNAC Championships held Nov. 9-11 at Tomlinson Stadium in Ellensburg…Vikings have qualified for all 11 versions of the GNAC Championships while claiming six titles (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022).

·         Spreading the Wealth – Viking goals this season have come from nine different players – Morgan Manalili (6), Gracen Crosby (3), Mie Cairns(3), Sophie Bearden Croft (2), Minji Rauch (2), Payton Neal, Claire Potter, Jayden Nguyen and Myka Carr…also two own goals.

·         Leading Goal Scorer – Morgan Manalili leads the Vikings with six goals this season, all coming in GNAC play to lead the conference in goals scored in league contests…also led WWU with 10 goals and 25 points during GNAC Freshman of the Year season in 2022…scored 16 goals in 44 career games (37 starts) with 10 game-winning goals.

·         Full Time Asia – Sophomore defender Asia Hardin has played 1695 out of a possible 1710 minutes this season (18 games of FT action)…appeared in 43 career games (out of 44 possible), playing the full 90 in 42 of 43 games.

·         PK Gracen – Junior transfer Gracen Crosby is 3-for-3 on penalty kicks this season.

·         Tie Games – Have recorded four draws this season, tied for 2nd-most in a single season in program history.

·         National Champions – 2016 and 2022 NCAA II National Champions and national runner-up in 2019.

·         Henninger's Clean Sheets – Senior goalkeeper Claire Henninger is tied for the GNAC lead with nine shutouts (14th in NCAA II)…had 11 shutouts last season to rank 5th in NCAA Division II…logged 21 career shutouts to tie for 5th-most in program history.

·         Estera Suffers Season-Ending Injury – Senior Estera Levinte has tallied 48 career points, with 15 goals and 18 assists (tie for 24th in WWU history)…ranks tied for 12th in WWU history with 18 assists…senior suffered early-season knee injury and is out for an undetermined amount of time.

·         Harrington Success – Owns all-time 86-6-6 all-time playing at the on-campus facility that debuted in 2014 (.908).

·         Always Dancing – Advanced to each of the last 10 NCAA Division II Championships and played in seven consecutive West Regional title matches (9 in last 10 seasons)…all-time record of 44-11-3 in the postseason (GNAC + NCAA).

·         Roster Breakdown – The 2023 roster features 28 players, with 19 from Washington, six from Oregon, two from California and one from Arizona…eligibility wise, the roster has five freshmen, eight sophomores, seven juniors and eight seniors.

·         The Gaffer – Travis Connell is in his 21st season leading the WWU Women's program (28th at WWU)…owns an all-time 310-84-41 (.760) as the Western women's head coach…owns 434 career wins including time with WWU men's soccer…selected as 2022 GNAC Coach of the Year (his 7th award).

 

In addition to winning the national title in 2016 and 2022, the Vikings have played in seven consecutive West Regional Championship matches and nine of the last 10. WWU has won the West Regional title five times (2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2022).

 

Seniors Katie Watt and Payton Neal are both climbing the program all-time list for career games played, with both players beginning their careers during the 2019 national runner-up season. Watt has appeared in 89 career games to rank tied for 9th in program history, and is the only player to start in a pair of national championship games. Neal is right behind Watt with 88 career caps to rank tied for 11th in WWU history. Here is a look at the WWU all-time top-10 for career games played:

 

 

Prior to the start of Saturday's regular-season finale, a 1-0 win over Montana State Billings, 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.

 

Since Harrington Field debuted on the south edge of the WWU campus in 2014, the Vikings are 86-6-6 (.908) playing in front of the home crowd (7-1-1 in 2023, 9-1-1 in 2022). The Vikings are 13-2-0 at Harrington Field in postseason play, hosting NCAA games in 2014 (0-1-0), 2015 (3-0-0), 2016 (1-0-0), 2017 (1-0-0), 2019 (2-0-0), 2021 (1-0-0) and 2022 (3-0-0), and GNAC Championships games in 2016 (1-0-0) and 2021 (1-1-0). Including the men's program, WWU Soccer has a combined record of 132-29-20 (.785) at Harrington Field.

 

Led by a trio of student-athletes with a perfect 4.00 GPA, the Western Washington University women's soccer team had 17 players earn a spot on the 2023 Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic Team. Junior Kascia Muscutt and sophomores Morgan Manalili and Claire Potter were three of the nine GNAC student-athletes with a perfect 4.00 GPA that were part of the All-Academic team. WWU's 17 selections were part of a group of 112 total honorees, with more than half as repeat selections. The Vikings were third amongst GNAC member programs in All-Academic awards trailing 20 by Western Oregon and 18 by Central Washington. Senior graduate student Claire Henninger became a four-time All-GNAC Academic selection, and seniors Chloe Unflat and Jayden Nguyen, and juniors Ashley Nguyen and Grace Wales each earned their third academic award from the conference.

 

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

 

 

The Vikings have made 10 consecutive trips to the NCAA Division II Championships and 12 overall appearances in the NCAA postseason in program history. WWU is the two-time NCAA II National Champion, winning titles in 2016 and 2022, while also playing in the national championship game in 2019. Western is 5-0 all-time in national quarterfinal games and 3-2 in national semifinal contests. The program owns an all-time 28-9-1 record in NCAA Championships play, winning at least one game in 10 of 12 trips to the NCAA postseason. WWU was crowned national champion in 2016 with a 24-0-1 record, capped by a 3-2 victory over Grand Valley State in Kansas City, Missouri, and earned a second star with a 2-1 win over West Chester to cap the 2022 season in Seattle.

 

Advanced to play in its fifth NCAA Division II Championships Final Four in 2022 with all coming in the last nine seasons (since 2013). WWU appeared in the national semifinal round in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2022 (no championships in 2020). Additionally, the Vikings have played in the West Regional championship game in seven consecutive seasons and nine of the last 10 seasons. Here is a look at the most appearances in the NCAA D2 Final Four since the Vikings made their first appearance in 2013, with WWU trailing only Grand Valley State:

 

·         Grand Valley State - 7

·         Western Washington - 5

·         Columbus State - 3

·         Bridgeport & Saint Rose - 2

 

WWU has won 132 of its last 168 games dating back to the start of the 2016 national championship season, going 132-20-16 (.833) during this stretch. The program has won eight of the last 11 GNAC regular-season titles (last in 2022), five of the last seven GNAC Tournaments (last in 2022) and advanced to the NCAA Championships in each of the last 10 seasons. During the 10-year stretch of consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, WWU has reached the West Regional Championship match nine times and advanced to the NCAA II national semifinals five times (2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2022). Western has a current streak of 19 consecutive winning seasons for one of the top-10 longest active streaks in NCAA II.

 

WWU head coach Travis Connell recorded his milestone 300th victory while leading the women's program with the 2-0 season-opening victory over Biola, a span that includes 21 seasons. Connell has combined to go 310-84-41 since taking over the program in 2003, and also has another 125 wins for 435 total WWU head coaching wins including his time spent as the head men's soccer coach at Western.

 

Travis Connell is in his 21st season leading the women's program as head coach and 28th overall as a coach at WWU. Owns a 310-84-41 (.760) record leading the women's program to rank as the 7th-winningest active coach amongst NCAA Division II head coaches. Overall, he is 10th among all-time winningest NCAA Division II coaches, with a minimum of 10 years as a head coach at a DII school. Connell recorded his 300th win leading the women's program on August 31, 2023 in a 2-0 victory over Biola, and including 125 wins as the head coach of the men's soccer program at WWU, Connell has amassed 435 career NCAA head coaching victories. He is assisted by former Viking standout goalkeeper Jamie Arthurs, Johann Lahud-Zahner and Alex McBeath.

 

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. Over the last nine seasons (since 2015), the Vikings have combined for a 153-22-17 record (.841 winning pct.).