NAMPA, Idaho – The Western Washington University men's soccer team battled Northwest Nazarene University to a scoreless draw Saturday afternoon in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
The Vikings generated plenty of offensive chances, but were unable to find the back of the net in a hard-fought battle between the two programs.
WWU out-shot the Nighthawks 14-6 but both teams were held off the scoreboard with the Vikings picking up a point on the road in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference match held at NNU Soccer Field.
"I thought the team did a really good job today. I was impressed with the response to Thursday's result, stepping up against a tough opponent on the road," said WWU head coach Greg Brisbon. "This was probably one of our better performances of the season. Now it is on to a home game at Harrington Field against one of our rivals and I am sure we will be up for that."
In two games to open conference play the Vikings have registered 42 shots with 14 on target, but have been shut out in each contest marking the first time since the start of the 2021 season to be blanked in back-to-back games.
WWU's defense was difficult for NNU to handle with the Nighthawks getting only two shots off on goal, with senior goalkeeper Brandon Locke making both saves to record his third shutout of the season and 14th of his career to rank fourth in WWU history.
NNU's senior goalkeeper Sawyer Price made six saves to keep the Vikings off the scoreboard, including five second-half stops.
WWU moved to 3-3-2 overall on the season and 0-1-1 in GNAC play. NNU recorded its second consecutive tie and is winless over its last five games to move to 2-3-3 overall and 0-0-2 in conference play.
Gallery: (9-30-2023) WSOC | WOU 1, WWU 0
Western Washington 0, Northwest Nazarene 0
Date: September 30, 2023
Field: NNU Soccer Field Site: Nampa, ID
Attendance: 691
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
-----------------------------------------
Western Washington......... 0 0 - 0
Northwest Nazarene......... 0 0 - 0
Shots: WWU 14, NNU 6
Shots on Goal: WWU 6, NNU 2
Saves: WWU 2 (Locke - 2), NNU 2 (Price – 6)
Corners: WWU 10, NNU 3
Fouls: NNU 7, WWU 6
Offsides: NNU 2, WWU 0
Kits: WWU (White), NNU (Black/Red)
Records: WWU (3-3-2, 0-1-1), NNU (2-3-3, 0-0-2)
WWU (3-3-2, 0-1-1 GNAC) return home next Thursday facing rival Seattle Pacific University on Thursday, October 5 with a 7 pm game under the lights at Harrington Field. The game vs. the Falcons will serve as a celebration for Latine Heritage Month. WWU is back on the road next Saturday facing border rival Simon Fraser University on Saturday, October 7 with kickoff at 6 pm on Burnaby Mountain. The complete 2023 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/23_MSOC.
Here is a look at Western's record breakdown for the 2023 season:
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2023 RECORD BREAKDOWN
|
|
Overall Record
|
3-3-2
|
|
Streak
|
T1
|
|
Home
|
2-1-0
|
|
Away
|
1-2-2
|
|
Neutral
|
0-0-0
|
|
GNAC Record
|
0-1-1
|
|
Non-Conference
|
3-2-1
|
|
Ranked Opponents
|
0-0-0
|
|
Scoring First
|
3-0-0
|
|
Opponent Scores First
|
0-3-1
|
|
Lead at the Half
|
3-0-0
|
|
Tied at the Half
|
0-2-2
|
|
Trail at the Half
|
0-1-0
|
|
Record by Jersey
|
|
White
|
0-2-1
|
|
Navy Blue
|
2-1-1
|
|
Light Blue
|
1-0-0
|
2023 WWU MEN'S SOCCER RESULTS & SCHEDULE
Here is a look at the Vikings 2023 regular-season schedule and results:
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DATE
|
OPPONENT
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LOCATION / VENUE
|
KICKOFF
|
|
Aug. 31 (Thur.)
|
@Sonoma State
|
Rohnert Park, CA (Seawolf Soccer Stadium)
|
T, 1-1
|
|
Sept. 2 (Sat.)
|
@Chico State
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Chico, CA (University Soccer Stadium)
|
L, 2-0
|
|
Sept. 7 (Thur.)
|
@CUI
|
Irvine, CA (Golden Eagles Field)
|
W, 3-1
|
|
Sept. 9 (Sat.)
|
@Point Loma
|
San Diego, CA (PLNU Soccer Field)
|
L, 1-0
|
|
Sept. 14 (Thur.)
|
Colorado Mines
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
W, 3-0
|
|
Sept. 16 (Thur.)
|
Regis
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
W, 2-0
|
|
Sept. 28 (Thur.)
|
Saint Martin's GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
L, 1-0
|
|
Sept. 30 (Sat.)
|
@Northwest Nazarene GNAC
|
Nampa, ID (NNU Soccer Field)
|
T, 0-0
|
|
Oct. 5 (Thur.)
|
Seattle Pacific GNAC
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Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
7:00 pm
|
|
Oct. 7 (Sat.)
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@Simon Fraser GNAC
|
Burnaby, BC (Terry Fox Field)
|
6:00 pm
|
|
Oct. 12 (Thur.)
|
@Western Oregon GNAC
|
Monmouth, OR (WOU Soccer Field)
|
12:00 pm
|
|
Oct. 19 (Thur.)
|
Montana St. Billings GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
7:00 pm
|
|
Oct. 21 (Sat.)
|
Northwest Nazarene GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
4:00 pm
|
|
Oct. 26 (Thur.)
|
Western Oregon GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
4:00 pm
|
|
Oct. 28 (Sat.)
|
@Seattle Pacific GNAC
|
Seattle, WA (Interbay Stadium)
|
7:00 pm
|
|
Nov. 4 (Sat.)
|
Simon Fraser GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
7:00 pm
|
|
Nov. 9 (Thur.)
|
@Saint Martin's GNAC
|
Lacey, WA (SMU Soccer Field)
|
1:00 pm
|
|
Nov. 11 (Sat.)
|
@Montana St. Billings GNAC
|
Billings, MT (Yellowjacket Soccer Field)
|
7:00 pm MT
|
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.
