BELLINGHAM, Wash. – For the second time in program history, the Western Washington University women's soccer team will open a season as the defending national champions.

 

WWU begins defense of the national championship won last December in Seattle by taking to the road for a pair of matches in Southern California facing Biola on Thursday (Aug. 31, 7 pm) and No. 17 nationally-ranked Concordia on Monday (Sept. 4, 1 pm) in a rematch of last year's West Regional Championship game.

 

The Vikings are listed No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Preseason Coaches Poll after going 19-2-4 last season and received seven of eight first-place votes while holding the top spot in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll. WWU returns 22 players and nine starters from last year's squad that captured the GNAC regular-season and postseason titles, a fifth West Regional championship trophy and the national title.

 

After opening the season with a pair of games in Southern California, the Vikings make their home debut at Harrington Field hosting Cal State LA on Saturday, September 9. The complete 2023 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/23_WSOC with direct links on how to follow the team on the road and how to purchase online tickets.

 

 

Here is a look at the series history between the Vikings and opponents this week:

 

·         Biola: Owns 1-0 all-time record against Biola defeating Eagles 1-0 in an early-season game in 2021.

·         CUI: Went 1-0-1 vs. CUI last season, tying 1-1 in a non-conference game on Aug. 30 at Harrington Field and defeating the Golden Eagles 1-0 in the West Regional title game on November 17 in Bellingham.

 

News and notes on the 2023 WWU Women's Soccer team heading into the season-opening week of action:

 

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

·         Winning Streak – WWU carries over an 8-game winning streak from the end of the 2022 season, which included a perfect 7-0-0 run through the postseason.

·         GNAC Title – Won 9th GNAC regular-season title in 2022, which includes eight in last 10 seasons…also won sixth GNAC Tournament title.

·         Freshman Goals – Of the Vikings 46 goals last season, 19 were scored by true freshmen players.

·         Levinte's Points – 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.

·         Leading Goal Scorer – Sophomore Morgan Manalili led the Vikings with 10 goals and 25 total points last season while being selected as the GNAC Freshman of the Year and All-American.

·         Henninger's Clean Sheets – Senior goalkeeper Claire Henninger recorded 11 shutouts last season to rank 5th in NCAA Division II…entered WWU single-season record books tying for 4th-most shutouts.

·         Harrington Success – Owns all-time 79-5-5 all-time playing at the on-campus facility that debuted in 2014 (.916).

·         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 299-80-37 (.763) as the Western women's head coach…owns 424 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).

W⚽️ | Just about time for kickoff to the 2023 season for @WWU_WSoccer with the opener this Thursday at Biola. The Vikings are the defending national champions and ranked No. 1 nationally. #GoViks 

🎥 : Imogene Eagan & Emma Morgan
🎬 : Storm Hedman
🎶 : DNA | Kendrick Lamar pic.twitter.com/gXrYDXVe2i
— WWU Athletics (@WWUAthletics) August 29, 2023
 

The complete 2023 WWU Women's Soccer schedule can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/23_WSOC and single-game tickets can also be purchased online via wwuvikings.com/Tickets. New for the 2023-24 season for all intercollegiate sports will be FREE STUDENT TICKETS at all regular-season home events!

 

Coming off a winning the ninth conference title in program history (and the national championship), WWU earned the top spot in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The Vikings received 63 total points in a vote of the eight conference head coaches and hauled in seven of the eight first-place votes. WWU was listed 11 points ahead of second-place Seattle Pacific.

 

 

WWU checks in at No. 1 in the 2023 NCAA Division II United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll (records shown are final from 2022 season). The Vikings finished the 2022 season as the national champions and the final No. 1 national ranking in NCAA Division II. Western has now earned a national preseason ranking in each of the last 10 seasons and has appeared in the national top 25 nearly every week dating back to the middle of the 2012 season.

 

 

Since Harrington Field debuted on the south edge of the WWU campus in 2014, the Vikings are 79-5-5 (.916) playing in front of the home crowd (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 121-26-17 (.790) at Harrington Field.

 

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 start 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 121 of its last 149 games dating back to the start of the 2016 national championship season, going 121-16-12 (.852) during this stretch. The program has won eight of the last 10 GNAC regular-season titles (including 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.

 

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 299-80-37 (.763) 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 250^th win leading the women's program on October 24, 2019 vs. Seattle Pacific, and including 125 wins as the head coach of the men's soccer program at WWU, Connell has amassed 424 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 10 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 enters 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 eight seasons (since 2015), the Vikings have combined for a 142-18-13 record (.858 winning pct.).