BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's soccer team has high hopes for the 2024 season heading into Opening Weekend at Harrington Field.
 
The Vikings are coming off an undefeated showing in the preseason heading into home contests this week against No. 18 Chico State and Sonoma State. WWU also hosts No. 5 Cal State LA and perennial West Region contender Cal State Dominguez Hill next weekend to showcase the four-game homestand to open the season.
 
WWU is listed tied for 3rd in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll, coming off a 3rd-place finish in the conference last season going 6-6-6 overall and 3-4-5 in GNAC play. Western's six ties set a program single-season record.
 
Head coach Greg Brisbon begins his 12th season leading the Vikings in 2024 and produced the program's most recent GNAC title during the 2019 campaign.
 
Following the four-game homestand, the Vikings take to the road for the first time September 19-21 with a road game at Westminster and a neutral-site game vs. Regis, with both games in Salt Lake City, Utah. The conference schedule begins October 3 at Western Oregon.
 

THIS WEEK IN WWU MEN'S SOCCER
Thursday, September 5	Live Coverage
#18 Chico State  »  4:00 pm  »  Bellingham, WA  »  Harrington Field	📊 LiveStats   🎥 Webcast
Saturday, September 7	Live Coverage
Sonoma State  »  1:00 pm  »  Bellingham, WA  »  Harrington Field	📊 LiveStats   🎥 Webcast

This marks the eighth consecutive season opening with games against Chico State and Sonoma State, combining to go 6-6-2 in the series vs. the CCAA schools dating back to 2016 (3-4-0 vs. Chico State, 3-2-2 vs. Sonoma State). WWU opened the 2023 season with a 1-1 tie at Sonoma State and dropped a 2-0 contest at Chico State. The Vikings went 1-0-1 in the last meetings at Harrington Field with a scoreless draw vs. SSU and a 1-0 victory over Chico State.
  WWU opens the 2024 season with a pair of home games hosting No. 18 Chico State and Sonoma State Thursday and Saturday at Harrington Field. The season-opening weekend kicks off a four-game homestand vs. West Region opponents, with Cal State LA and Cal State Dominguez Hills coming to Bellingham next week. The complete 2024 season schedule can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/24_MSOC.
  Tickets can be purchased at the Harrington Field Office beginning one hour prior to kickoff. Current WWU students gain free admission to all home events in 2024-25 by showing their active W card at the entrance. Free fan parking is available in C lots adjacent to Harrington Field. Advanced ticket sales and season ticket packages are also available online at wwuvikings.com/Tickets.
  Here is a look at the series history between the Vikings and opponents this week:
 

• Chico State: Vikings are 10-13-0 all-time against Chico State and 3-4-0 dating back to the 2016 season…WWU dropped a 2-0 decision last season in the second game of the opening weekend and defeated the Wildcats 1-0 in 2022 at Harrington Field…Vikings are 3-5-0 all-time in home games vs. Chico State with a 1-2-0 record at Harrington Field.
• Sonoma State: WWU is 3-12-3 all-time against Sonoma State, but has gone 2-2-3 in the last seven meetings against the Seawolves…opened last season with a 1-1 draw in Rohnert Park and a scoreless tie to open the 2022 season in Bellingham…Western is 2-1-2 in the last five meetings vs. the Seawolves…SSU head coach Marcus Ziemer is the father of former WWU women's soccer All-American Tera Ziemer.

  The Vikings are 13-23-8 all-time in the first game of a season in the first 44 years of program history. Over the last eight seasons (since 2016) WWU is 2-4-2 in lid lifters. Western's last Opening Day victory was 2018, a 4-3 ovetime victory at Sonoma State. The Vikings have tied each of their last two openers.
  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:
 

• Vikings TV – wwuvikings.com/VikingsTV
• Live Stats – wwuvikings.com/MS_Stats

  The Vikings are listed in a tie for 3rd place in the 2024 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. Coming off a 6-6-6 overall record in 2023 and a tie for 3rd-place finish in the conference, the Vikings received 32 points in a vote of the conference's seven head coaches. Defending champion Simon Fraser is listed first with 43 points and gathering five first-place votes. Western Oregon is 2nd with 41 points and the remaining two first-place votes. WWU is tied with rival Seattle Pacific for the No. 3 spot ahead of No. 5 Northwest Nazarene (25 points). Here is a look at the final voting tally from the 2024 GNAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll:
 

Rk	School (1st Place Votes)	Points	2023 Record	GNAC Record (Finish)
1.	Simon Fraser (5)	43	11-5-2	8-2-1 (1st)
2.	Western Oregon (2)	41	11-3-3	8-1-3 (2nd)
3.	Western Washington	32	6-6-6	3-4-5 (T3rd)
	Seattle Pacific	32	5-9-4	3-6-3 (5th)
5.	Northwest Nazarene	25	5-7-6	3-4-5 (T3rd)
6.	Montana State Billings	13	5-8-3	2-6-2 (7th)
7.	Saint Martin's	10	4-8-4	2-6-3 (6th)

The Vikings are led by four co-captains in 2024 with seniors Lucas Hakamada and Jacob Sundberg, junior Joar Tidblom and sophomore Edgar Serrano forming the team leadership group.   For the fourth time in the last seven years, the WWU men's soccer team has earned the prestigious United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award. The Vikings maintained a team GPA of 3.48 during the 2023-24 academic year to lead all teams in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Western also landed a Starting XI on the GNAC All-Academic team in 2023, extending an impressive stretch placing at least 10 student-athletes on the GNAC All-Academic team in each of the last seven years, combining for 82 academic all-conference honors during this stretch beginning in 2017.
  Since moving home games to Harrington Field on the south edge of campus in 2014, the Vikings have combined to go 46-23-14 for a .639 winning percentage (7-1-3 in 2022, 4-2-2 in 2023). WWU is 29-11-7 at Harrington Field over the last six seasons (since 2018). Combining with the WWU women's team, both programs have combined to go 132-29-20 (.785) playing at Harrington Field.
  In his 12th season as head coach and 23rd associated with WWU soccer, head coach Greg Brisbon returns a veteran squad that went 6-6-6 overall and were in contention for the GNAC title until the final week of the season with an 3-4-5 mark in conference play. The Vikings played in the 2019 NCAA Championships and in the midst of a strong eight-season stretch (since 2016) combining to go 68-41-23 (.602) with a 44-23-15 (.628) record in GNAC play. Brisbon owns an all-time head coaching record of 93-63-30 (.581). He is assisted in 2024 by Chuck Pitts, Matt Zigulis and Kyle Langowski.
  Fans can follow WWU men's soccer online at WWUVikings.com/MSOC, and via social media on Twitter (@SoccerWWU), Instagram (@wwu_msoccer) and Facebook (@WWUsoccermens).
  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.