LA MIRADA, Calif. – The No. 1 nationally-ranked Western Washington University women's soccer team opened the 2023 season with a 2-0 road victory over Biola University Thursday evening at Al Barbour Field.

 

The defending national champion Vikings broke a scoreless tie early in the second half with a pair of goals less than five minutes apart. With the game knotted at 0-0 at the half, WWU forged ahead in the 48th minute on a penalty-kick goal by junior midfielder Gracen Crosby. Freshman forward Jane Hmura drew a foul on the edge of the right flank of the box and Crosby slotted home the PK inside the right post to give the Vikings the 1-0 lead at the 47:30 mark.

 

Crosby was a factor in the Vikings second goal less than five minutes later to double the lead to 2-0 on a blast outside the 18-yard box by sophomore forward Minji Rauch that tucked under the crossbar.

 

WWU's defense, led by emergency fill-in center back Jayden Nguyen, limited the Eagles to just one shot on goal in the contest while recording the shutout victory. Senior goalkeeper Abigail Trengove made one save between the pipes.

 

"I thought we showed a lot of experience tonight and handled the emotions and intensity well that a first game of the season can bring," said WWU head coach Travis Connell, who recorded his 300th victory while leading the program. "To be able to stay the course and keep on track shows good leadership and trusting what we work on each day. I thought we played better as we went through the match and that's a credit to the players."

 

While scoring her third career goal, Connell credited Rauch with solid all-around play in 42 minutes.

 

"Hard work pays off and it is really great to see Minji excel in these situations," said Connell. "She came in as a freshman and was not satisfied and worked hard to get where she is right now. She has become a real weapon for us."

 

The Vikings victory extended the program's season-spanning winning streak to nine consecutive games. WWU won its final eight games of the 2022 season, capped by a 2-1 victory over West Chester to win the NCAA Division II National Championship.

 

WWU remains in Southern California to play No. 17 Concordia in Irvine on Monday at 1 pm in a rematch of last year's West Regional Championship match won 1-0 by the Vikings.

 

"We enjoy match-ups like the one we have on Monday…it's a great challenge to play teams like CUI this early in the season," added Connell. "Playing good matches like those help us get better."

 

WWU head coach Travis Connell recorded his milestone 300th victory while leading the women's program, a span that includes 21 seasons. Connell has combined to go 300-80-37 since taking over the program in 2003, and also has another 125 wins for 425 total WWU head coaching wins including his time spent as the head men's soccer coach at Western.

Western Washington 2, Biola 0

2023 Season Opener

Date: August 31, 2023

Field: Al Barbour Field   Site: La Mirada, CA

Attendance: 372

 

Goals by period                 1  2    Tot

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

#1 Western Washington.........  0  2  -  2

Biola.........................  0  0  -  0

 

SCORING SUMMARY:

1.      47:30     WWU     Crosby (PK)

2.      52:19     WWU     Rauch (Crosby)

 

Shots: WWU 17, BU 7

Shots on Goal: WWU 7, BU 1

Saves: WWU 1 (Trengove – 1), BU 5 (Monty - 5)

Corners: BU 5, WWU 4

Fouls: BU 10, WWU 4

Offsides: None

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

Records: WWU (1-0-0), BU (0-1-0)

 

The Vikings are 24-15-5 all-time in the first game of the season, extending their unbeaten streak on Opening Day to 11 consecutive games. WWU is 9-0-2 in lid lifters over the last 11 seasons since 2013.

 

WWU improved to 2-0 all-time against Biola, also beating the Eagles 1-0 in an early-season non-conference game at Harrington  Field in 2021.

 

The Vikings (1-0-0) remain in Southern California to play No. 17 Concordia Irvine (0-1-0) on Monday with kickoff scheduled for 1 pm at Golden Eagles Field in Irvine. CUI was defeated by No. 24 Cal State LA Thursday night in the season opener for both teams. The complete 2023 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/23_WSOC.

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

The complete 2023 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/23_WSOC. Single-game tickets for the 2023 season are currently on sale via wwuvikings.com/Tickets. New for the 2023-24 season is FREE tickets for current WWU students to all regular-season home sporting events.

 

WWU has won 122 of its last 150 games dating back to the start of the 2016 national championship season, going 122-16-12 (.853) 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.

 

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 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 eight seasons (since 2015), the Vikings have combined for a 143-18-13 record (.859 winning pct.).