BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Senior Claire Potter scored a pair of first-half goals to lead the No. 12 nationally-ranked Western Washington University women's soccer to a 2-0 rivalry night victory over Seattle Pacific University Thursday night at Harrington Field.

The Vikings struck first with an early goal in the seventh minute on another set piece strike. Senior defender Emily Rice lifted her left-footed corner into the box, where junior defender Olivia Connell got a head to it and Potter had the tap-in finish.

Potter struck again early in the eighth minute to record the first-half brace slotting her shot inside the near post off a pass from sophomore Emily Holdridge.

WWU held a decisive 18-9 advantage in total shots and 8-2 in shots on goal to earn the season sweep of the Falcons, also defeating SPU 3-0 at Interbay Stadium earlier this season.

"I am really proud of the effort from our players tonight," said WWU head coach Travis Connell. "We got off to a fast start and just kept working the entire 90 minutes. We looked like a team on a mission."

The No. 12 Vikings remain on top of the GNAC table at 9-0-2 in conference play and 11-1-4 overall. WWU is unbeaten in its last 13 games (11-0-2). The defending GNAC champions have already clinched an official berth in the GNAC Championships that features the top four teams in the standings November 13-15 in Burnaby, BC. Dating back to the end of the 2023 season, Western is unbeaten in its last 26 conference games going 21-0-5.

SPU dropped to 7-4-5 on the season and 5-3-3 in GNAC play.

The Vikings (11-1-4, 9-0-2 GNAC) continue its extended homestand to complete the regular season on Saturday hosting Montana State Billings at 1 pm at Harrington Field. The complete 2025 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/25_WSOC.

#12 Western Washington 2, RV Seattle Pacific 0

Date: October 30, 2025

Field: Harrington Field     Site: Bellingham, WA

Attendance: 265

Goals by period                 1  2    Tot

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

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

#12 Western Washington........  2  0  -  2

SCORING SUMMARY:

1.       6:23      WWU       Potter (Rice, Connell)

2.      17:09      WWU       Potter (E. Holdridge)

Shots: WWU 18, SPU 9

Shots on Goal: WWU 8, SPU 2

Saves: WWU 2 (McGowan – 2), SPU 6 (Cullen – 1, Schoennauer - 5)

Corners: WWU 8, SPU 2

Fouls: WWU 7, SPU 5

Offsides: WWU 4, SPU 0

Kits: WWU (White), SPU (Black)

Updated Records: WWU (11-1-4, 9-0-2), SPU (7-4-5, 5-3-3)

Here is a look at Western's record breakdown for the 2025 season:

The Vikings swept the season series vs. SPU also winning 3-0 in the first meeting October 4 at Interbay Stadium. WWU leads the all-time series vs. the Falcons 25-24-10 with a 21-6-7 record in the last 34 meetings since October 2013.

One of the great rivalries in college soccer, WWU (2016, 2022) and Seattle Pacific (2008) each have claimed an NCAA Division II national championship. WWU has advanced to the NCAA Championships in 11 of the last 12 seasons, while SPU has appeared in 17 of the last 21 seasons. WWU (10) and SPU (10) have combined to capture 20 of the 23 GNAC regular-season titles and nine of 12 conference postseason titltes.

WWU head coach Travis Connell was a four-year letterman for the SPU men's soccer team from 1991-95, helping lead the Falcons to 1993 national championship. In his 23rd season as the head coach of the Vikings, Connell has as career record of 330-90-49.

Here is a look at the GNAC Women's Soccer standings following Thursday's games to open the sixth week of the conference slate. WWU won its 10th regular-season title in 2024 going undefeated at 11-0-3 in GNAC play. The top four teams in the conference standings at the end of the regular season qualify for the GNAC Championships held November 13-15 in Burnaby, BC hosted by Simon Fraser University. Updated conference standings, schedules, results and statistics can be found online at GNACsports.com.