BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The final stat sheet showed the No. 1 Western Washington University women's soccer team with only one official shot on goal…but that was all the Vikings need in a 1-0 victory over No. 22 Cal State LA in non-conference action Saturday at Harrington Field.

The Vikings received a late first-half goal from freshman Mie Cairns, who poked home a brilliant one-touch cross into the box by sophomore Morgan Manalili after a short free-kick restart by sophomore Emily Rice. Freshman Jane Hmura drew a outside the box near the endline setting up the set-piece opportunity that led to the Vikings game-winning goal.

While Cal State LA held an 11-5 advantage in shots, the Vikings defense strengthened as the game went on to keep the Golden Eagles off the scoreboard. In her season debut, senior goalkeeper and team captain Claire Henninger recorded the clean sheet while making a trio of saves. Senior Jayden Nguyen and sophomore Asia Hardin both logged the full 90 minutes on the back line to contribute to the shutout victory.

"It was a gritty win today for our team. We received a big boost playing in front of a great home crowd at Harrington Field," said WWU head coach Travis Connell. "A lot of payers contributed to getting this win. I am very proud of our group."

WWU improved to 2-1-0 on the season, bouncing back from a 4-0 loss to No. 17 Concordia on the road earlier in the week in a rare Monday game. 

#1 Western Washington 1, #22 Cal State LA 0
2023 Home Opener
Date: September 9, 2023
Field: Harrington Field   Site: Bellingham, WA
Attendance: 204

Goals by period                 1  2    Tot
--------------------------------------------
#22 Cal State LA..............  0  0  -  0
#1 Western Washington.........  1  0  -  1

SCORING SUMMARY:
1.      39:45     WWU     Cairns (Rice, Manalili)

Shots: LA 11, WWU 5
Shots on Goal: LA 3, WWU 1
Saves: WWU 3 (Henninger – 3), LA 0 (Paopao - 0)
Corners: LA 3, WWU 0
Fouls: LA 11, WWU 10
Offsides: WWU 3, LA 0
Kits: WWU (Black), LA (Gold)
Records: WWU (2-1-0), LA (1-1-1)

Saturday marked the fifth meeting between the two sides and the first at Harrington Field. WWU improved to 4-1-0 all-time vs. Cal State LA in a series that dates back to the first meeting in 2006.

Following Saturday's home opener vs. No. 22 Cal State LA, WWU heads back on the road to take on No. 7 nationally-ranked Colorado School of Mines on Thursday, September 14 in Golden, Colorado. The game vs. the Orediggers will be a re-match of the 2022 NCAA National Quarterfinal won by WWU 3-1 to punch the ticket to the NCAA Championships Final Four in Seattle. The Vikings next home game will be Monday, September 18 vs. Sonoma State University at Harrington Field (7 pm kickoff). The complete 2023 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/23_WSOC.

Since Harrington Field debuted on the south edge of the WWU campus in 2014, the Vikings are 80-5-5 (.917) playing in front of the home crowd (1-0-0 in 2023, 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 122-26-17 (.791) at Harrington Field.

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 123 of its last 152 games dating back to the start of the 2016 national championship season, going 123-17-12 (.849) during this stretch. The program has won eight of the last 10 GNAC regular-season titles (last in 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 nine seasons (since 2015), the Vikings have combined for a 144-19-13 record (.855 winning pct.).