BELLINGHAM, Wash.  – The Western Washington University men's soccer team completed a 2-0 week at Harrington Field blanking Regis University 2-0 Saturday evening to complete the non-conference portion of the schedule.

The Vikings (3-2-1, 0-0-0 GNAC) received a goal in each half from sophomore forward Albin Jonsson for his third career brace and the defense recorded a second consecutive shutout performance. Jonsson now has five goals on the season to lead all player in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

Western's sterling Saturday performance backed up a 3-0 shutout victory Thursday in the home opener over Colorado School of Mines.

"We are starting to click in a lot of areas and that showed tonight. It was a great homestand after being on the road and a great all-around team effort," said WWU head coach Greg Brisbon. "This group has a lot of depth. We are looking forward to resting up and getting ready for conference play."

In addition to the strong play up front, the Vikings defense was led by a 90-minute effort from redshirt freshman Sebastiano Silvetti and all-around play from senior center back Mitchell Hutter. Senior goalkeeper Brandon Locke made a pair of saves for his 13th career shutout to move into a tie for fourth place in program history.

The Vikings got off to a quick start with three shots in the first 13 minutes of the contest and then pulled ahead early in the 15th minute when Albin Jonsson scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season. Jonsson disposed a Regis defender deep in Viking territory and did the rest himself with fancy footwork and a slotted his left-footed shot inside the right post.

With Viking clinging to a 1-0 lead, Regis pressed to find the equalizer firing 12 shots in the second half. Jonsson's second goal put away any chance of the Rangers securing a point on the road after defeating Seattle Pacific on Thursday.

With just under five minutes remaining in the contest, sophomore midfielder Ryan Rotter took a delayed free kick from 30 yards out that managed to find its way through the box to Jonsson, who back-healed it home with a light touch for his fifth goal of the season and second of the match.

Regis looked to get on the scoreboard in the final minutes of the match firing three consecutive shots, but the Vikings defense stiffened with a block by Joar Tidblom, a save off the line by Elliott Rains and a final stop by Locke to preserve the shutout.

Western fired 21 total shots in the game, with four on goal, edging the three shots on frame by the Rangers. The Vikings also held a decisive 7-3 advantage in corner kicks.

Regis goalkeeper Cristian Sattin made a pair of saves and forward Vilhjamur Kaldal led the team with six shots.

WWU (3-2-1, 0-0-0 GNAC) will get some rest with an off week to prepare for the start of Great Northwest Athletic Conference play hosting Saint Martin's University on Thursday, September 28 with a 7 pm match at Harrington Field.

Western Washington 2, Regis 0
Date: September 16, 2023
Field: Harrington Field   Site: Bellingham, WA
Attendance: 204

Goals by period              1  2    Tot
-----------------------------------------
Regis......................  0  0  -  0
Western Washington.........  1  1  -  2

SCORING SUMMARY:
1.      14:02     WWU      Jonsson
2.      85:08     WWU      Jonsson (R. Rotter)

Shots: WWU 21, REG 14
Shots on Goal: WWU 4, REG 3
Saves: WWU 3 (Locke - 2), REG 2 (Sattin - 2)
Corners: WWU 7, REG 3
Fouls: WWU 11, REG 9
Offsides: WWU 2, REG 2
Kits: WWU (Light Blue), REG (Gold)
Records: WWU (3-2-1), REG (2-3-1)

WWU (3-2-1) will have a week off to prepare for the opening of the 12-match Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule hosting Saint Martin's on Thursday, September 28 at Harrington Field. The complete 2023 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/23_MSOC.

Saturday's game marked the sixth meeting between the two schools…with the victory WWU leads the series 3-2-1 dating back to the first game in the series in 1997…the Vikings have won the last two games after defeating the Rangers 3-2 last season with three unanswered second-half goals.

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

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

The complete 2023 WWU Men's Soccer schedule can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/23_MSOC and single-game tickets can also be purchased online via wwuvikings.com/Tickets. Current WWU students will gain free admission to all home regular-season athletic events for the 2023-24 school year.

The Western Washington University men's soccer program is led by head coach Greg Brisbon, who has spent over 20 seasons affiliated with WWU Soccer. The Vikings won the 2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship, the third league trophy in program history, and advanced to the NCAA II Championships for the second time. The program is in its 4th season in 2023 and has recorded an overall record at or above the .500 mark in nine of the last 10 seasons, including a 12-4-3 record in 2022, 13-5-1 mark in 2019 and 11-6-1 in 2018. In 2016 the Vikings advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships for the first time in program history, using a late-season surge that saw the Vikings 5-0-1 over the last six matches to advance to the postseason. Overall the program has produced 63 GNAC Players of the Week selections, 30 First Team All-GNAC players and 4 GNAC Players of the Year since joining the conference in 2001. Off the field, WWU has built a strong academic reputation with 71 GNAC All-Academic selections over the last six years.