SEATTLE, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's soccer team battled back after allowing an early goal to earn a point on the road in a 1-1 tie against rival Seattle Pacific University Thursday evening at Interbay Stadium.

 

Having already claimed the GNAC regular-season title last week, WWU remained unbeaten in conference play at 10-0-3 heading into Saturday's finale at Montana State Billings. Western will be back at Interbay Stadium next week as the No. 1 seed for the GNAC Championships. The 1-1 tie snapped the Vikings eight-game winning streak but extended the unbeaten streak to 13 in a row. The five ties equal the program single-season record set in 1981.

 

SPU took the early lead just 1:27 into the contest when Ashlyn Valdovinos snuck her shot past WWU goalkeeper Abigail Trengove from 2-yards out.

 

With the Falcons leading 1-0 at the half, the Vikings found a quick equalizer in the 49th minute when freshman forward Emily Holdridge found the back of the net after beating the SPU goalkeeper 1-on-1. 

 

SPU and WWU played the remaining 40 minutes scoreless to end in a 1-1 tie. The Vikings and Falcons also had their game on September 28 end in a 1-1 tie in Bellingham.

 

Western held a 22-12 advantage in total shots and a slight edge of 7-5 in shots on goal.

 

The Vikings (11-2-5, 10-0-3 GNAC) closes out the 2024 regular season traveling to play Montana State Billings on Saturday with kickoff at 3 pm MT/2 pm PT at Yellowjacket Soccer Field. The GNAC Championships open the postseason with semifinal action on Thursday, November 14. The complete 2024 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/24_WSOC.

 

Western Washington 1, Seattle Pacific 1

Date: November 7, 2024

Field: Interbay Stadium     Site: Seattle, WA

Attendance: 302

 

Goals by period                 1  2    Tot

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

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

Seattle Pacific...............  1  0  -  1

 

SCORING SUMMARY:

1.       1:27      SPU       Valdovinos (Wallace)

2.      48:37      WWU       E. Holdridge (McGuffey)

 

Shots: WWU 22, SPU 12

Shots on Goal: WWU 7, SPU 5

Saves: WWU 4 (Trengove – 4), SPU 6 (Cullen – 5, Team - 1)

Corners: WWU 6, SPU 1

Fouls: SPU 7, WWU 5

Offsides: WWU 3, SPU 0

Kits: WWU (Black), SPU (White)

Updated Records: WWU (11-2-5, 10-0-3 GNAC), SPU (9-2-6, 7-1-5 GNAC)

 

The Vikings have clinched their 10th GNAC regular-season title and will be the No. 1 seed in the GNAC Championships. WWU added to titles won in 2022, 2018-19, 2012-16 and 2008. The Vikings have finished first or second in the final GNAC table in each of the last 12 seasons dating back to 2012. WWU and SPU have each won 10 GNAC regular-season titles to tie for the most in conference history.

 

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 final week of conference play. WWU has secured its 10th regular-season title with 33 points, and Seattle Pacific, Simon Fraser and Western Oregon have also qualified for the GNAC Championships. Updated conference standings, schedules, results and statistics can be found online at GNACsports.com.

 

 

The Vikings had their 8-game winning streak snapped Thursday at SPU, but extended their unbeaten streak to 13 in a row to tie for the 8th-longest in program history. Here is a look at the longest winning and unbeaten streaks in program history:

 

 

WWU and Seattle Pacific both regular-season games to a 1-1 tie. One of the strongest soccer rivalries in the Northwest, WWU is 23-24-10 all-time vs. SPU with a 19-6-7 record in the last 32 meetings since October 2013.

 

Heading into Saturday's regular-season finale the Vikings remain unbeaten in GNAC play with a 10-0-3 record. WWU has clinched its 10th GNAC title and will be the No. 1 seed in the GNAC Championships held November 14-16 at Interbay Stadium in Seattle. 

 

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 nine of the last 13 Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season titles (2024 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.