By: Jeff Evans, Assistant AD for Athletic Communications
BELLINGHAM, Wash. – With a three-goal performance last week and a brace on Senior Day,
Morgan Manalili has been selected as the GNAC Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week for games played November 3-9.
Manalili earned her third GNAC Player of the Week honor this season and fifth of her career, ranking tied for 2nd in program history for conference weekly awards in a career.
The senior from Shoreline scored in the Vikings 1-1 tie Thursday vs. Simon Fraser to help clinch the GNAC regular-season title and had a brace in the 3-0 win over Central Washington to cap an undefeated run through the conference schedule.
"Morgan is playing with so much belief and determination right now. It is a real joy watching her figure out ways to impact games," said WWU head coach
Travis Connell.
For the season, Manalili leads the GNAC and tied for 5th in NCAA Division II with 16 goals. Her 0.84 goals per game average (16 goals in 19 games) is 7th in NCAA II this season and 6th-best in WWU program history. She has scored at least two goals in five games and heads into the postseason scoring a goal in each of the last three games.
Manalili's dominating senior season has moved her name up the charts in program history, with the 16 goals tied for 4th-most by a Viking and the most in a season during the NCAA era since 1998. Her 34 career goals, 23 assists and 91 points all rank 7th in program history, while she is 11th in GNAC history in goals and total points.
The five career GNAC Player of the Week awards are tied for the most by an attacking player in program history, matching the five earned by Gabriella Pelogi from 2015-18, and trail only the six won by goalkeeper Natalie Dierick (2018-21).
The Vikings claimed their 11th GNAC regular season title going undefeated at 11-0-3 during the 14-game league schedule to earn the No. 1 seed in the GNAC Championships this week in Burnaby, B.C. WWU is 13-1-5 overall and carries a 16-game unbeaten streak into Thursday's 2 pm semifinal game vs. Seattle Pacific.
