BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Following an undefeated opening weekend of play, the No. 20 nationally-ranked Western Washington University women's soccer team takes to the road for West Region matches at Sonoma State and Azusa Pacific.

 

The Vikings are 1-0-1 on the season following a season-opening scoreless draw against MSU Denver and a 2-0 victory over then No. 6 UC-Colorado Springs. WWU travels to play at Sonoma State on Saturday in Rohnert Park (2 pm) and continues south for a Tuesday game at Azusa Pacific (7 pm). WWU's next home game is scheduled for Sunday, September 22 hosting No. 6 Colorado School of Mines.

 

After a trio of scoreless preseason games and the 0-0 tie against MSU Denver, the Vikings wasted little time getting on the scoreboard vs. UCCS with a goal by junior Morgan Manalili early in the fourth minute. Senior Lydia Myers added an insurance goal in the 63rd minute to give the Vikings their first victory of the season.

 

Senior goalkeeper Abigail Trengove has posted a pair of shutouts through the first two games of the season while combining to make four saves.

 

WWU's five-game non-conference schedule concludes with the clash against the top-10 Orediggers on September 22, leading into the 14-game Great Northwest Athletic Conference slate beginning September 26 at Simon Fraser.

 

 

The Vikings entered the United Soccer Coaches poll this week at No. 20 in the nation, marking the 12th consecutive season WWU has been present in the national top 25 dating back to the 2012 season. The program has earned a national top 25 end-of-season ranking 10 times since the 2012 season including No. 1 in 2016 and 2022 (national championship seasons), No. 2 in 2019 and No. 3 in 2013 and 2015.

 

WWU opened the 2024 season with an undefeated 1-0-1 start at home playing MSU Denver to a scoreless draw in the opener and defeating then No. 6 nationally-ranked UC-Colorado Springs 2-0. The Vikings are now 24-15-6 all-time in the first game of a season in the 45 seasons of program history with a current 12-year undefeated streak on Opening Day (9-0-3).

 

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

 

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).

 

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

 

 

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

 

·         Sonoma State: WWU leads the all-time series vs. SSU with a 10-9-2 record, including a 9-1-2 record over the last 12 meetings since 2007…two teams played to a scoreless draw last season at Harrington Field…Vikings are 2-6-1 all-time vs. the Seawolves in road games (also 1-1-0 at neutral site)…Vikings are 3-0-0 all-time vs. SSU in postseason games including back-to-back NCAA Tournament wins in 2017-18.

·         Azusa Pacific: WWU is 4-0-0 all-time vs. Azusa Pacific with the last meeting in the 2015 West Regional Final, a 1-0 WWU victory over then No. 2 nationally-ranked APU…marks second meeting between the two teams in Azusa and first since 2014 (1-0 WWU victory).

 

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:

 

 

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 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. 

 

 

Since Harrington Field debuted on the south edge of the WWU campus in 2014, the Vikings are 87-6-7 (.905) playing in front of the home crowd (9-1-1 in 2022, 7-1-1 in 2023, 1-0-1 in 2024). 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 134-29-22 (.784) at Harrington Field.

 

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 start 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 134 of its last 172 games dating back to the start of the 2016 national championship season, going 134-21-17 (.828) 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 312-85-42 (.759) 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 437 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.