BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's soccer team was in front of the goal a lot…and finally cashed in on a Jane Hmura goal in the 61st minute to defeat Saint Martin's University 1-0 Thursday night at Harrington Field in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action.

 

WWU picked up three points in the conference standings remaining undefeated at 2-0-1 in league play and 3-2-3 overall. Saint Martin's dropped to 1-2-0 in conference play and 1-7-0 overall. 

 

The Vikings held a decisive 17-3 advantage in shots (8-2 in shots on goal), but didn't get the breakthrough goal until 15 minutes into the second half. Senior forward Myka Carr had her shot hit the crossbar and Hmura gathered the rebound stuffing it home for her first goal of the season.

 

WWU's defense did the rest of the work to record the fourth shutout of the season. Junior co-captain Asia Hardin played all 90 minutes and teamed with sophomore Mie Cairns, sophomore Olivia Connell and senior co-captain Halle Noel to keep Saint Martin's off the scoreboard. Senior goalkeeper Abigail Trengove made a pair of saves for the clean sheet.

 

"Saint Martin's was really good tonight, challenging us and making it very difficult for us," said WWU head coach Travis Connell. "Our team found a way to get a goal and showed the belief system they have. We will look to rest up and face another challenge Saturday vs. Western Oregon."

 

In addition to holding a decisive advantage in shots, the Vikings earned 17 corner kicks and held possession for 64-percent of the time.

 

SMU senior goalkeeper Flavia Burrell, a transfer from Cal State Bakersfield, made six saves to keep the Saints in the game. 

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The Vikings (3-2-3, 2-0-1 GNAC) remains at home Saturday hosting Western Oregon with a 2 pm kickoff at Harrington Field. The 2016 and 2022 national championship teams will be honored in a halftime ceremony inducting both teams into the WWU Athletics Hall of Fame. The complete 2024 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/24_WSOC.

 

Western Washington 1, Saint Martin's 0

Date: October 3, 2024

Field: Harrington Field   Site: Bellingham, WA

Attendance: 397

 

Goals by period                 1  2    Tot

--------------------------------------------

Saint Martin's................  0  0  -  0

Western Washington............  0  1  -  1

 

SCORING SUMMARY:

1.      60:27     WWU       Hmura (Carr)

 

Shots: WWU 17, SMU 3

Shots on Goal: WWU 8, SMU 2

Saves: WWU 2 (Trengove - 2), SMU 2 (Burrell – 2)

Corners: WWU 17, SMU 2

Fouls: WWU 5, SMU 5

Offsides: WWU 1, SMU 0

Kits: WWU (Light Blue/White), SMU (Black)

Updated Records: WWU (3-2-3, 1-0-1), SMU (1-7-0, 1-2-0)

 

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 – will be honored first on Saturday, October 5 with a pregame gathering in Carver Gym and a Sideline Party for the GNAC contest vs. Western Oregon. To register for the event visit foundation.wwu.edu.

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

 

 

Here is an updated look at the GNAC standings and weekly schedule following Thursday's games to open the second week of conference play. Updated conference standings, schedules, results and statistics can be found online at GNACsports.com.

 

 

WWU improved to 28-2-2 all-time vs. Saint Martin's dating back to the first meeting in 2007…the Vikings extended their unbeaten streak vs. the Saints to 24 consecutive games (since 2011), going 23-0-1 during this stretch…Western also improved to 16-0-1 all-time vs. SMU in home games with a current 15-game winning streak (10-0-0 at Harrington Field).
 

 

Since Harrington Field debuted on the south edge of the WWU campus in 2014, the Vikings are 88-7-8 (.893) playing in front of the home crowd (2-1-2 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 136-31-23 (.776) at 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:

 

 

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.