ELLENSBURG, Wash. – It just would not be a Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships Final if Western Washington University was not playing.

 

For the 11th consecutive season – marking every year the women's soccer championships have been played – the Vikings will get the chance to play for the title on Saturday following a 2-1 victory over Western Oregon at Tomlinson Stadium.

 

WWU improved to 11-0-0 all-time in GNAC semifinals using a pair of first-half goals from sophomore forward Claire Potter and freshman forward Jane Hmura to improve to 12-4-4 overall and strengthen the resume of the No. 4 regionally-ranked Vikings. 

 

All three goals in the game were scored in the first half, with WOU cutting the deficit in half with just under 10 minutes left in the 45-minute half. The Vikings played solid second-half defense and controlled possession down the stretch to advance to Saturday's 1 pm final in Ellensburg. WWU will be looking to win its seventh GNAC Championships title and second in as many years.

 

The No. 2 seed Vikings will face No. 4 Simon Fraser University, a 4-2 winner over No. 1 seed Seattle Pacific, in Saturday's GNAC Championships Final. SFU became the first No. 4 seed in GNAC Championships history to reach the final while earning their first postseason GNAC victory in program history.

 

"Western Oregon was fantastic tonight. They never quit and presented so many problems for us," said WWU head coach Travis Connell. "It took everything we had to defend them and keep them at bay. We talked a lot about drawing on our experience in these moments to be able to handle all the emotions and block out the distractions. For the most part we did a good job of that and we made some key plays at some key times and that made the difference in the match."

 

The Vikings held a 12-8 advantage in total shots over the Wolves, and held a slim 6-5 edge in shots on goal. Senior goalkeeper Claire Henninger made four saves and sophomore Asia Hardin, freshman Olivia Connell and junior Gracen Crosby logged the full 90 minutes to help the Vikings advance.

 

The Vikings struck first in the 11th minute off a perfectly delivered corner from Morgan Manalili, who serviced a ball that nearly hit the crossbar creating a scrum in front of the goal. Freshman Mie Cairns got a foot on the ball directing the ball back towards the center of the box, where Potter improvised with her back to the goal executing a back-heel finish into the corner of the goal to put the Vikings up 1-0.

 

"We fought all game long," Potter said after the match. "We got a couple of goals in the first half early and then the second half was just a fight. Western Oregon played a tough game. They came out hard and we just had to find it in us and we pushed each other and worked hard and in the end we got the result."

 

WWU doubled its lead in the 22nd minute when Hmura scored her first career goal, cleaning up a saved shot from Cairns for a close-quarters finish.

 

"Our players came up big when we needed them and I am really happy about that," added Connell. "The kids made some big plays today and that's what you have to do to win against tough teams like we just played."

 

With just under 10 minutes remaining in the half, WOU got on the board to bring the game to a one-goal deficit. Elizabeth Parker sent a long cross into the box where Chloe Smith got ahead of a WWU defender to connect on a looping header from six-yards out that snuck under the crossbar for her team-leading sixth goal of the season.

 

Cairns recorded the assist on both goals, with Hmura credited with the game-winning goal.

 

"There is a lot to play for on Saturday. The group is motivated and we know we have work to do," said Connell. "Any time you are in an intense match-up like we were just in you have to get your body right and get the tactics adjusted to the new opponent. But we love doing it and we are excited to play on Saturday."

 

WWU improved to 11-0-0 all-time in GNAC semifinal matches…Vikings are now 11-0-0 when scoring first and 8-0-0 when holding a lead at the half…senior Katie Watt became the ninth player in program history to reach the 90-games played mark for a career.

 

The No. 2 seed Vikings (12-4-4) will face No. 4 Simon Fraser University on Saturday at 1 pm in the championship game. The complete 2023 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/23_WSOC.

 

Western Washington 2, Western Oregon 1

GNAC Championships Semifinal

Date: November 9, 2023

Field: Tomlinson Stadium   Site: Ellensburg, WA

Attendance: 134

 

Goals by period                 1  2    Tot

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

Western Oregon................  1  0  -  1

Western Washington............  2  0  -  2

 

SCORING SUMMARY:

1.      10:32     WWU     Potter (Cairns)

2.      21:11     WWU     Hmura (Cairns)

3.      35:27     WOU     Smith (Parker)

 

Shots: WWU 12, WOU 8

Shots on Goal: WWU 6, WOU 5

Saves: WWU 4 (Henninger – 4), WOU 4 (Pierce – 4)

Corners: WWU 4, WOU 2

Fouls: WOU 8, WWU 4

Offsides: WWU 2, WOU 2

Kits: WWU (Light Blue), WOU (Black)

Records: WWU (12-4-4), WOU (8-5-6)

 

WWU improved to 11-0-0 all-time in GNAC Championships semifinal games and continue its streak of playing in the championship game in every year the tournament has been in existence since beginning in 2012. The Vikings will be playing for its seventh GNAC Championships title on Saturday, looking to add to postseason league championships won in 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2022. Western is now 17-2-2 all-time in the GNAC postseason. 

 

 

The Vikings clinched the season series against Western Oregon going 2-1-0 vs. the Wolves, winning 1-0 at home, losing 1-0 on the road and winning today 2-1 at the neutral site. WWU is now 42-8-2 all-time vs. WOU and 3-0-0 all-time vs. the Wolves in the GNAC Championships.

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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 now appeared in 90 career games to rank tied for 8th in program history, and is the only player to start in a pair of national championship games. Neal is right behind Watt with 89 career caps to rank tied for 10th in WWU history. Here is a look at the WWU all-time top-10 for career games played:

 

 

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 12 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.