BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's soccer team takes its undefeated conference record into a pair of GNAC road matches this week.

 

The Vikings are 2-0-2 in conference play heading into the third week of the GNAC slate, earning eight points to stand third in the early-season standings. WWU travels to play at in-state rival Central Washington (1-4-2, 0-3-1 GNAC) on Thursday with kickoff scheduled for 7 pm in Ellensburg. The Vikings continue east to face Northwest Nazarene (1-7-0, 1-3-0 GNAC) Saturday in a 1 pm MT/12 pm PT contest in Nampa, Idaho.

 

WWU is coming off a second straight 1-0-1 week to open the conference schedule, defeating Saint Martin's 1-0 and tying Western Oregon 1-1. Through the first eight games of the season Western is 3-2-4 overall.

 

The Vikings have been led by a strong defensive effort that has resulted in allowing only six goals in nine games. 

 

Following road games this week, Western returns home for four consecutive games at Harrington Field, beginning with GNAC contests October 17 (Thursday) vs. Montana State Billings and October 19 (Saturday) vs. Simon Fraser. Following the four-game homestand, the Vikings close out the regular-season schedule with four consecutive road games.

 

 

WWU has allowed one or fewer goals in eight of nine games this season, with the only outlier a 2-0 loss to then No. 3 and current nationally No. 1 ranked Colorado School of Mines. The Vikings 0.667 goals against average ranks second in the GNAC and tied for 37th in NCAA Division II.

 

Here is a look at Western's record breakdown for the 2024 season:

 

 

The WWU defense has maintained its high standard ranking second in the GNAC with a 0.667 goals against average, allowing six goals in nine games. The four shutouts are tied for second in the conference as well. Junior co-captain Asia Hardin has been the stalwart on the back line playing in all 810 minutes, with sophomore center back Olivia Connell (729 minutes) and senior defender Halle Noel (677 minutes) also logging a majority of the minutes on defense. Senior goalkeeper Abigail Trengove has started eight games and is listed second among GNAC leaders with a 0.50 goals against average and tied for the conference lead with four shutouts.

 

The Vikings duplicated their first-week performance in GNAC play going 1-0-1 during the second week of the conference slate. WWU defeated Saint Martin's 1-0 on a 61st-minute goal by Jane Hmura and tied Western Oregon 1-1. In the game vs. the Wolves the Vikings took an early lead on a header goal in the 13th minute by Kyrsten McGuffey, but WOU equalized in the 77th minute on a penalty kick goal.

 

Goals have been hard to come by for the Vikings this season with seven in the first nine games, but when Western scores it has been a balanced team effort. Five Vikings have combined for the six offensive goals (one own goal), with senior midfielder Lydia Myers leading the team with a pair of goals. A total of 11 players have recorded a point with eight different players tallying an assist.

 

Through the two weeks of conference play, the Vikings are undefeated with a 2-0-2 record, placing them 3rd in the GNAC table with eight points. Seattle Pacific (10 points) and Simon Fraser (9 points) are just ahead of the Vikings in the conference standings, with Western Oregon in 4th place with seven points. The top four teams in the standings at the conclusion of the 14-game conference slate qualify for the GNAC Championships held November 14-16 at Interbay Stadium with SPU serving as the postseason tournament host.

 

Junior defender and co-captain Asia Hardin has started 54 of 55 possible games during her three-year career as a Vikings. Not only has she been a mainstay in the starting lineup, but in the 54 games played, Hardin has appeared in all but 15 minutes of those games, logging the full 90 minutes 53 times during her career. The only game she missed was the 2022 GNAC Semifinal when she was not available for the game.

 

Here is a statistical comparison for the Vikings and opponents this week:

 

 

Beginning with the 2022 season, NCAA soccer adopted a new rule where there is no overtime for regular-season games, meaning the game ends after the conclusion of 90 minutes. Since that rule was adopted, the Vikings have recorded 12 ties – four each season – one short of the school record of five ties set in 1981. In the eight seasons prior to the new rule going into effect (2014-2021) WWU combined for 13 total ties.

 

All home games feature a live webcast via Vikings TV and live statistical updates. Fans that choose to watch the games in the comfort of their home or on their devices, can point their browsers to the following links or by searching for "WWU Athletics" on YouTube. Away games will have links available at wwuvikings.com/Live.

 

·         Vikings TV – wwuvikings.com/VikingsTV

·         Webcast – wwuvikings.com/WS_Watch

·         Live Stats – wwuvikings.com/WS_Stats

 

Here is a look at the series history between the Vikings and its upcoming opponents:

 

·         Central Washington: The Vikings lead the all-time series vs. their in-state rivals 50-10-9 and carry a 25-game unbeaten streak (22-0-3) into Thursday's evening match…last loss vs. the Wildcats came in 2011 in Ellensburg…WWU is 22-5-5 all-time in games played at CWU, including a 4-0 victory in the last meeting with the Wildcats at Tomlinson Stadium last season.

·         Northwest Nazarene: WWU leads the all-time series 41-2-3 vs. NNU dating back to the first meeting in 1997…Vikings went 1-0-1 vs. the Nighthawks last season, winning 2-1 at home on an own goal with less than 30 seconds remaining, and played to a scoreless tie in Nampa…Western has a current 6-game undefeated streak vs. NNU (4-0-2) dating back to the 2021 season…from 2003-2021 the Vikings went 31 consecutive games in the series without a loss going 30-0-1.

 

Here is a look at the overall records for the eight GNAC programs heading into the third week of conference play this week. Updated conference standings, schedules, results and statistics can be found online at GNACsports.com.

 

 

Junior Morgan Manalili moved into the top 30 in program history with her game-winning goal in the opening moments of the win over No. 6 UCCS. Manalili now has 17 career goals to tie for 29th in program history. With three more goals will become the 22nd player to reach the 20-goal mark as a Viking. Her 11 game-winning goals are listed as No. 3 in program history behind 20 by Gabriela Pelogi (2015-18) and 17 by Catherine Miles (2012-15). Manalili is also listed just outside the program top 30 with 43 career points.

 

As part of the Year of the Vikings, WWU Athletics will induct all 13 of its national champion teams into the WWU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024-25. The two women's soccer national champion teams – 2016 and 2022 – were honored last Saturday at Harrington Field with a pregame gathering in Carver Gym and a Sideline Party for the GNAC contest vs. Western Oregon. All student-athletes, coaches and staff from the two teams are now part of the WWU Athletics Hall of Fame.

 

The complete 2024 WWU Women's Soccer schedule can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/24_WSOC and single-game tickets can also be purchased online via wwuvikings.com/Tickets. Current WWU students will gain free admission to all regular-season home events! Free parking is available for all fans during WWU Soccer games in the C Lots above Harrington Field.

 

Here is a look at the Vikings 2024 regular-season schedule. The GNAC Championships will be held November 14-16 at Interbay Stadium in Seattle and the NCAA Division II Championships open with the first and second rounds November 21-24:

 

 

Since Harrington Field debuted on the south edge of the WWU campus in 2014, the Vikings are 88-7-9 (.889) playing in front of the home crowd (2-1-3 in 2024, 7-1-1 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 136-31-24 (.775) at Harrington Field.

 

Here is a look at the voting tally from the 2024 GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll with the Vikings selected atop the rankings earning 59 points and three first-place votes. WWU opens the 2024 conference slate September 26 on the road against Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C. 

 

 

The Vikings have appeared in the NCAA Division II Championships in 10 of the last 11 seasons and made 12 overall appearances in the NCAA postseason in program history. WWU is the two-time NCAA II National Champion, winning titles in 2016 and 2022, while also playing in the national championship game in 2019. Western is 5-0 all-time in national quarterfinal games and 3-2 in national semifinal contests. The program owns an all-time 28-9-1 record in NCAA Championships play, winning at least one game in 10 of 12 trips to the NCAA postseason. WWU was crowned national champion in 2016 with a 24-0-1 record, capped by a 3-2 victory over Grand Valley State in Kansas City, Missouri, and earned a second star with a 2-1 win over West Chester to cap the 2022 season in Seattle.

 

In addition to winning the national title in 2016 and 2022, the Vikings have played in seven of the last eight West Region championship matches and nine of the last 11. WWU has won the West Regional title five times (2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2022).

 

WWU has won 136 of its last 179 games dating back to the start of the 2016 national championship season, going 136-23-20 (.816) during this stretch. The program has won eight of the last 11 GNAC regular-season titles (last in 2022), five of the last eight GNAC Tournaments (last in 2022) and advanced to the NCAA Championships in 10 of the last 11 seasons. WWU has reached the West Regional Championship match nine times in the last 11 seasons and advanced to the NCAA II national semifinals five times (2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2022). Western has a current streak of 20 consecutive winning seasons for one of the top-10 longest active streaks in NCAA II.

 

Travis Connell is in his 22nd season leading the women's program as head coach and 29th overall as a coach at WWU. Owns a 314-87-45 (.754) record leading the women's program to rank as the 6th-winningest active coach amongst NCAA Division II head coaches. Overall, Connell is 10th among all-time winningest NCAA Division II coaches, with a minimum of 10 years as a head coach at a DII school. Connell recorded his 300th win leading the women's program on August 31, 2023 at Biola, and including 125 wins as the head coach of the men's soccer program at WWU, Connell has amassed 439 career NCAA head coaching victories. He is assisted by former Viking standout goalkeeper and WWU Hall of Famer Jamie Arthurs, Johann Lahud-Zahner and Alex McBeath.

 

Fans can follow WWU women's soccer online at WWUVikings.com/WSOC, and via social media on Twitter/X (@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, appearing in the NCAA Championships in 10 of the last 11 seasons and winning a pair of national championships in 2016 and 2022. WWU has advanced to the NCAA II Final Four in five of the last 10 seasons and played for the West Region championship in nine of the last 11 seasons (seven consecutive from 2015-22). The Vikings won the 2022 NCAA Division II National Championship 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 12 Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season titles (2022 Champions) and won five of the last eight GNAC Tournament titles (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022). Head coach Travis Connell is in his 22nd season leading the program in 2024 (29th overall at WWU) and has led the Vikings to 12 trips to the NCAA Championships and 19 consecutive winning seasons.