SEATTLE, Wash. – The rivalry game between Western Washington University and Seattle Pacific University finished in a back-and-forth 2-2 tie Saturday evening in Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's soccer action at Interbay Stadium.
The Vikings and Falcons exchanged goals – one in each half for both teams – with the 90-minute match ending in a 2-2 tie to earn each team one point in the GNAC standings to complete the first week of the conference schedule. WWU completed the opening week of GNAC play 0-1-1 and is 2-3-3 overall.
WWU received goals from sophomore Frank Miedema in the 39th minute and junior Albin Jonsson in the 80th minute to answer each of the Falcons first two goals. Both teams had a few chances down the stretch before the game finished in a tie.
The Vikings had a 14-8 advantage in total shots, with the Falcons leading 6-5 in shots on goal.
"This was a great rivalry game. WWU vs. SPU is always an exciting, back-and-forth game," said WWU head coach Greg Brisbon. "I thought we adjusted well after the half and played better as a group. This was a good result on the road against a top team in the conference. We are looking forward to hosting at Harrington Field on Thursday."
SPU opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when Connor Tollan collected the ball in front of the goal and deflected the ball past WWU goalkeeper Charlie Dyer for the 1-0 lead.
WWU answered early in the 39th minute to tie the game 1-1 to snap a string of three consecutive games without a goal. Freshman midfielder Reiley Buri-Brown took a free kick from 50-yards out, sending a lofted ball into the box that Miedema flicked on with a slight header that crossed the line for his first goal as a Viking.
The Falcons forged ahead in the 69th minute with Tollan again in the mix, taking a free kick from just outside the box that was flicked on by Reymundo Mendez near the 6-yard box.
Western again answered to knot the game 2-2 at the 79:01 mark with Albin Jonsson slotting a right-footed shot past SPU goalkeeper Pierluca Carnovale into the lower left side of the goal from 12-yards out. Senior Eric Bunnell won a ball near midfield and threaded a pass to Jonsson leading to his 16th career goal to tie for 13th-most in program history.
Sophomore goalkeeper Charlie Dyer made four saves for the Vikings.
The Vikings (2-3-3, 0-1-1 GNAC) are back at home for their next game hosting Northwest Nazarene on Thursday with kickoff at 7 pm at Harrington Field. WWU also plays a road game next Saturday at Saint Martin's (3:45 pm). The complete 2024 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/24_MSOC.
Western Washington 2, Seattle Pacific 2
Date: October 5, 2024
Field: Interbay Stadium Site: Seattle, WA
Attendance: 385
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
--------------------------------------------
Western Washington............ 1 1 - 2
Seattle Pacific............... 1 1 - 2
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 22:36 SPU Tollan (Mendez)
2. 38:09 WWU Miedema (Buri-Brown)
3. 68:48 SPU Mendez (Tollan)
4. 79:01 WWU Jonsson (Bunnell)
Shots: WWU 14, SPU 8
Shots on Goal: SPU 6, WWU 5
Saves: WWU 4 (Dyer – 4), SPU 3 (Carnovale – 3)
Corners: WWU 6, SPU 1
Fouls: SPU 16, WWU 12
Offsides: SPU 1, WWU 0
Kits: WWU (Light Blue), SPU (Black)
Updated Records: WWU (2-3-3, 0-1-1), SPU (4-2-2, 1-0-1)
Here is a look at the overall records for the seven GNAC programs through the first week of conference. Updated conference standings, schedules, results and statistics can be found online at GNACsports.com.
|
|
Team
|
Points
|
GNAC
|
Pct.
|
Overall
|
Pct.
|
Home
|
Away
|
Neutral
|
Streak
|
L10
|
|
1.
|
Western Oregon
|
6
|
2-0-0
|
1.000
|
6-1-1
|
.812
|
2-0-0
|
2-1-1
|
2-0-0
|
W3
|
6-1-1
|
|
2.
|
Seattle Pacific
|
4
|
1-0-1
|
.750
|
4-2-2
|
.625
|
1-2-2
|
2-0-0
|
1-0-0
|
T1
|
4-2-2
|
|
3.
|
Montana State Billings
|
3
|
1-1-0
|
.500
|
2-3-3
|
.438
|
1-2-0
|
0-0-3
|
1-1-0
|
L1
|
2-3-3
|
|
|
Northwest Nazarene
|
3
|
1-0-0
|
1.000
|
2-4-1
|
.357
|
2-1-0
|
0-2-0
|
0-1-1
|
W1
|
2-4-1
|
|
5.
|
Western Washington
|
1
|
0-1-1
|
.250
|
2-3-3
|
.438
|
2-1-1
|
0-2-1
|
0-0-1
|
T1
|
2-3-3
|
|
6.
|
Simon Fraser
|
0
|
0-1-0
|
.000
|
1-4-2
|
.286
|
0-0-0
|
0-3-1
|
1-1-1
|
L2
|
1-4-2
|
|
|
Saint Martin's
|
0
|
0-2-0
|
.000
|
0-8-0
|
.000
|
0-3-0
|
0-4-0
|
0-1-0
|
L8
|
0-8-0
|
|
This Week's GNAC Schedule
|
|
Thursday, October 3:
at Western Oregon 1, Western Washington 0
Seattle Pacific 6, at Saint Martin's 1
at Montana State Billings 2, Simon Fraser 0
Saturday, October 5:
at Northwest Nazarene 4, Saint Martin's 0
Western Oregon 3, at Montana State Billings 1
Western Washington 2, at Seattle Pacific 2
|
Here is a look at Western's record breakdown for the 2024 season:
|
2024 RECORD BREAKDOWN
|
|
Overall Record
|
2-3-3
|
|
Streak
|
T1
|
|
Home
|
2-1-1
|
|
Away
|
0-2-1
|
|
Neutral
|
0-0-1
|
|
GNAC Record
|
0-1-1
|
|
Non-Conference
|
2-2-2
|
|
Ranked Opponents
|
1-2-0
|
|
Scoring First
|
2-0-1
|
|
Opponent Scores First
|
0-3-1
|
|
Lead at the Half
|
1-0-1
|
|
Tied at the Half
|
1-1-2
|
|
Trail at the Half
|
0-2-0
|
|
Record by Kit
|
|
White
|
0-2-1
|
|
Navy Blue
|
2-1-1
|
|
Light Blue
|
0-0-1
|
Over the last 17 meetings since 2016, WWU is 8-3-6 vs. Seattle Pacific…the Falcons lead the all-time series 39-15-12…second consecutive tie between WWU and SPU, with the two teams playing to a 1-1 tie at Interbay Stadium last season.
2024 WWU MEN'S SOCCER RESULTS & SCHEDULE
Here is a look at the Vikings 2024 regular-season schedule:
|
DATE
|
OPPONENT
|
LOCATION / VENUE
|
KICKOFF
|
|
Sept. 5 (Thur.)
|
Chico State (#18)
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
W, 1-0
|
|
Sept. 7 (Sat.)
|
Sonoma State
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
T, 1-1
|
|
Sept. 12 (Thur.)
|
Cal State LA (#3)
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
L, 0-1
|
|
Sept. 14 (Sat.)
|
Cal State Dominguez Hills
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
W, 2-1
|
|
Sept. 19 (Thur.)
|
@Westminster
|
Salt Lake City, UT (Dumke Field)
|
L, 0-1
|
|
Sept. 21 (Sat.)
|
vs. Regis
|
Salt Lake City, UT (Dumke Field)
|
T, 0-0
|
|
Oct. 3 (Thur.)
|
@Western Oregon (#25) GNAC
|
Monmouth, OR (WOU Turf Field)
|
L, 0-1
|
|
Oct. 5 (Sat.)
|
@Seattle Pacific GNAC
|
Seattle, WA (Interbay Stadium)
|
T, 2-2
|
|
Oct. 10 (Thur.)
|
Northwest Nazarene GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
7:00 pm
|
|
Oct. 12 (Sat.)
|
@Saint Martin's GNAC
|
Lacey, WA (SMU Soccer Field)
|
3:45 pm
|
|
Oct. 19 (Sat.)
|
Montana St. Billings GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
4:00 pm
|
|
Oct. 24 (Thur.)
|
Seattle Pacific GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
7:00 pm
|
|
Oct. 26 (Sat.)
|
@Simon Fraser GNAC
|
Burnaby, BC (Terry Fox Field)
|
2:00 pm
|
|
Oct. 31 (Thur.)
|
@Northwest Nazarene GNAC
|
Nampa, ID (NNU Soccer Field)
|
4:00 pm MT
|
|
Nov. 2 (Sat.)
|
Saint Martin's GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
4:00 pm
|
|
Nov. 7 (Thur.)
|
Simon Fraser GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
5:00 pm
|
|
Nov. 9 (Sat.)
|
@Montana St. Billings GNAC
|
Billings, MT (Yellowjacket Soccer Field)
|
6:00 pm MT
|
|
Nov. 14 (Thur.)
|
Western Oregon GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
7:00 pm
|
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 completed its 44th varsity season in 2023 and has recorded a season record at or above the .500 mark in 11 of the last 12 seasons. 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 four GNAC Players of the Year since joining the conference in 2001. Off the field, WWU has built a strong academic reputation with 82 GNAC All-Academic selections over the last seven years.
