GOLDEN, Colo. – The Western Washington University women's soccer team faced a tall task Thursday going on the road to play against No. 2 nationally-ranked Colorado School of Mines.

WWU not only battled the undefeated Orediggers, but also took on mother nature with Stermole Soccer Stadium drenched in rainy conditions for the non-conference match won 2-0 by the hosts. 

The Vikings slipped to 2-2-0 on the season while facing a top 25 opponent for the third consecutive game.

"I am proud of this group…these are the games you remember because you learn so much from. We battled a good team tonight and got better throughout the match," said WWU head coach Travis Connell. "We made a few early mistakes and a team like Mines will punish you for that. We kept plugging away and grew throughout the match. Despite the result, I think we grew today as a team and we'll take that into our next match Monday vs. Sonoma State."

The Orediggers got off to a quick start scoring both of their goals within the first 14 minute of the game, both by All-American Reece McDermott. Mines jumped to the 1-0 lead at the 5:46 mark and made it a 2-0 contest at the 13:43 mark.

Mines held an 11-7 lead in shots and had a 4-2 advantage in shots on goal. WWU's shots on goal came in the 13th minute by senior midfielder Payton Neal and 78th minute by junior forward Sophie Bearden Croft. Senior goalkeeper Claire Henninger was credited with a pair of saves.

The Vikings (2-2-0) return home to host Sonoma State Monday night at Harrington Field with kickoff set for 7 pm at Harrington Field. The complete 2023 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/23_WSOC.

#2 Colorado School of Mines 2, Western Washington 0
Date: September 14, 2023
Field: Stermole Stadium   Site: Golden, CO
Attendance: 187

Goals by period                 1  2    Tot
--------------------------------------------
Western Washington............  0  0  -  0
#2 Colorado Mines.............  2  0  -  2

SCORING SUMMARY:
1.       5:46     CSM     McDermott (Corbett)
2.      13:43     CSM     McDermott (Rasco)

Shots: CSM 11, WWU 7
Shots on Goal: CSM 4, WWU 2
Saves: WWU 2 (Henninger – 2), CSM 2 (Garcia - 2)
Corners: WWU 3, CSM 0
Fouls: CSM 8, WWU 7
Offsides: CSM 3, WWU 0
Kits: WWU (Light Blue), Mines (White)
Records: WWU (2-2-0), Mines (4-0-1)

Thursday marked the sixth meeting between the Vikings and Colorado School of Mines, with the fourth in regular-season play. WWU is now 3-2-1 all-time vs. the Orediggers dating back to the first head-to-head matchup in 2016. WWU defeated Mines 3-1 last November in the NCAA II National Quarterfinal on the way to winning the national title.

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.

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 nine seasons (since 2015), the Vikings have combined for a 144-20-13 record (.850 winning pct.).