BURNABY, B.C. – The Western Washington University women's soccer team put on a defensive display Saturday during the GNAC Championships final, holding Simon Fraser University scoreless through 110 minutes of regulation play.

 

Simon Fraser got one big save from goalkeeper Sarah Loewen to win the penalty shootout 5-4 to give the No. 2 seed and tournament host Red Leafs their third consecutive postseason GNAC title. This marked the third time the tournament title was decided via penalty kicks, with WWU falling to Seattle Pacific in 2013 and 2014.

 

SFU receives the automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, while WWU is a likely candidate for the seven-team West Regional field with the selections made Monday at 3:30 pm via NCAA.com. The Vikings won the GNAC regular-season title to earn the No. 1 seed going undefeated at 11-0-3 during the 14-game conference slate and entered the postseason ranked No. 12 in the United Soccer Coaches poll.

 

The 90-minute regulation match and a pair of 10-minute overtime periods were played to a scoreless tie, with both teams recording 14 shots and seven shots on goal. The Vikings were without GNAC leading goal scorer Morgan Manalili, who did not dress due to an injury sustained on the final play of Thursday's 2-1 semifinal victory over SPU.

 

Simon Fraser put together a sequence of scoring opportunities in the 34th minute, beginning with a shot by Jensa Napier-Ganley that was punched off the crossbar by freshman goalkeeper Ellie McGowan for one of her four first-half saves. The saved shot led to four consecutive corner kicks for the Red Leafs, to no avail.

 

WWU looked to push the go-ahead goal across in the 43rd minute on a free kick by Emily Rice that was touched past the SFU goalkeeper by Mie Cairns, but the Vikings were called for offsides in a close call wiping the goal off the scoreboard.

 

McGowan made another tremendous save with a punch off the crossbar in the 108th minute off a rocket shot by Kiera Scott. The freshman goalkeeper tied her single-game career high with seven saves.

 

The Vikings back line of seniors Asia Hardin and Kascia Muscutt, and junior Olivia Connell all played the full 110-minutes of action while holding SFU scoreless for just the third time in 20 games. Hardin and Muscutt were rewarded earning a spot on the 11-player All-Tournament team, joined by Manalili and junior midfielder Reese Walker.

 

WWU extended its unbeaten streak to 18 consecutive games – with the game officially ending in a tie – and stands at 14-1-6 overall.

 

WWU had four players earn a spot on the 11-player All-Tournament Team for the 2025 GNAC Women's Soccer Championships. Senior forward Morgan Manalili, junior midfielder Reese Walker, senior defender Kascia Muscutt and senior defender Asia Hardin were all selected to the All-Tournament Team. SFU goalkeeper Sarah Loewen was selected as the Tournament MVP.

 

 

Asia Hardin started her 89th career game, breaking the WWU and GNAC record for starts in a career … Hardin has missed just one game and 30 total minutes during her four-year career … she broke the previous record of 88 career starts by Catherine Miles (2012-15) … GNAC leading scorer and Player of the Year Morgan Manalili did not play due to an injury suffered on her game-winning assist in overtime in Thursday's GNAC Semifinal … Manalili (17 goals this season) had her string of 77 consecutive starts dating back to her freshman season in 2022 snapped … sophomore twins Emily Holdridge and Audrey Holdridge were in the starting lineup together for the first time during their collegiate career … WWU and SFU were level in total shots (14-14) and shots on goal (7-7), with both Ellie McGowan and SFU's Sarah Loewen each making 7 saves.

 

The Vikings (14-1-6) will wait for Monday's 3:30 pm NCAA Selection Show to find if they earn one of the four at-large bids to the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championships. WWU entered the postseason ranked No. 2 in the postseason. The selection show will stream live and free online via NCAA.com. The Vikings complete 2025 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/25_WSOC with links to recaps, statistics and photo galleries.

 

Western Washington 0, Simon Fraser 0

SFU wins title 5-4 in PK Shootout

2025 GNAC Championships Final

Date: November 15, 2025

Field: Terry Fox Field     Site: Burnaby, BC

Attendance: 656

 

Goals by period                 1  2  OT OT   Tot

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

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

Simon Fraser..................  0  0  0  0  -  0

 

PK Shootout Summary:

1.    WWU (Potter – saved)      SFU (Faremo – made)

2.    WWU (Cairns – made)       SFU (Caravatta – made)

3.    WWU (Muscutt – made)      SFU (Clark – made)

4.    WWU (Connell – made)      SFU (Napier-Ganley – made)

5.    WWU (Hardin – made)       SFU (Lafontaine – made)

 

Shots: WWU 14, SFU 14

Shots on Goal: WWU 7, SFU 7

Saves: WWU 7 (McGowan – 7), SFU 7 (Loewen - 7)

Corners: SFU 8, WWU 6

Fouls: WWU 9, SFU 9

Offsides: WWU 2, SFU 1

Kits: WWU (Navy), SFU (Red)

Updated Records: WWU (14-1-6), SFU (13-2-5)

 

The Vikings made their 13th appearance in the GNAC Women's Soccer Championships, advancing to play in the four-team tournament every season the tournament has been in existence since it debuted in 2012. WWU has also played in 13 championships games, going 13-0-0 in the semifinal round. Western is the six-time champion of the event, winning in 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2022. Following Saturday's 0-0 tie – and SFU wining 5-4 in the penalty shootout – the Vikings are 19-4-3 all-time in the GNAC Championships.

 

 

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

 

 

With the game officially ending in a tie, WWU extends its unbeaten streak to 18 consecutive games for the 6th-longest undefeated streak in program history. WWU is 14-0-4 during the unbeaten streak dating back to a victory over Cal State Monterey Bay on September 18. Here is a look at the longest unbeaten streaks in program history:

 

 

Here is a look at the Vikings 2025 schedule and game-by-game results: