BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's soccer team was dealt a heartbreaker Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Championships West Regional at Harrington Field.

 

Making their 14th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance, the No. 1 seed Vikings were eliminated from the 56- team tournament with No. 4 Azusa Pacific winning the penalty kick shootout 6-5.

 

WWU held an early 1-0 lead on a 24th minute goal by Claire Potter off an assist from Emily Rice on a free kick. The Vikings maintained the one-goal lead throughout the second half, while creating a few chances to score an insurance goal. APU equalized with 65 seconds remaining in regulation on a goal by Zoey Kuhn, her third in the regional tournament, off a cross from Faith Crouse.

 

After two scoreless overtime periods, the two teams went to the shootout with the winner advancing to the West Regional Final next week. WWU had a chance to win after a pair of APU misses, but Cougar goalkeeper Alexia Muniz made a pair of saves to advance her team to the next round.

 

"This loss is a real gut punch. We were in control and in the end, it slipped through our fingers," said WWU head coach Travis Connell. "I am so proud of our players and how they competed with total belief and with class. This senior class has left an amazing mark on this program and in the lives of their teammates."

 

The Vikings held an 18-14 advantage in total shots in the 110-minute contest and 7-2 in shots on goal.

 

APU advances to play the winner of Sunday's No. 3 Simon Fraser vs. No. 2 Cal Poly Pomona game in the West Regional Final next week.

 

WWU finished the 2025 season with a 14-1-7 overall record and heads into the 2026 season with a 19-game unbeaten streak (14-0-5). For the second consecutive game, WWU played without GNAC Player of the Year and West Region goal scoring leader Morgan Manalili (17 goals, 8 assists, 42 points), who was sidelined with an ankle injury sustained at the end of the GNAC Semifinal win over Seattle Pacific on November 13.

 

Azusa Pacific 1, Western Washington 1

APU advances 6-5 in PK Shootout

2025 GNAC Championships Final

Date: November 22, 2025

Field: Harrington Field    Site: Bellingham, WA

Attendance: 478

 

Goals by period                 1  2  OT OT   Tot

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

Azusa Pacific.................  0  1  0  0  -  1

Western Washington............  1  0  0  0  -  1

 

SCORING SUMMARY:

1.      23:34      WWU       Potter (Rice)

2.      88:55      APU       Kuhn (Crouse, Emerson)

 

PK SHOOTOUT SUMMARY:

1.    APU (Hernandez – made)      WWU (Cairns – hit post)

2.    APU (Kuhn – made)           WWU (Potter – made)

3.    APU (Sandobal – made)       WWU (Connell – made)

4.    APU (Fuller – missed wide)  WWU (Hardin – made)

5.    APU (Coleman – made)        WWU (Muscutt – made)

6.    APU (Castro – missed high)  WWU (Rice – saved)

7.    APU (Emerson – made)        WWU (Succi – made)

8.    APU (Goodwin – made)        WWU (Walker – saved)

 

Shots: WWU 18, APU 14

Shots on Goal: WWU 7, APU 2

Saves: WWU 1 (McGowan – 1), APU 6 (Muniz - 6)

Corners: APU 5, WWU 4

Fouls: WWU 12, APU 11

Offsides: WWU 1, APU 1

Kits: WWU (Light Blue), APU (Brick/Maroon)

Updated Records: WWU (14-1-7), APU (12-3-5)

 

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

 

 

The Vikings made their 14th appearance in the NCAA Division II Championships and 12th in the last 13 seasons. 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. Following Saturday's tie vs. APU, the program owns an all-time 29-10-2 record in NCAA Championships play, winning at least one game in 11 of 14 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 star with a 2-1 win over West Chester to cap the 2022 season in Seattle. 

 

With the game officially ending in a tie – even though the season does not advance – WWU extended its unbeaten streak to 19 consecutive games to tie for the 5th-longest undefeated streak in program history. WWU went 14-0-5 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 final game-by-game results:

 

 

The Vikings continued their tradition of playing in the NCAA Tournament with the program's 14th appearance in the West Regional Championships. WWU is a two-time national champion winning in 2016 in Kansas City and 2022 in Seattle. Western has an all-time 29-10-2 record in NCAA Championships play, winning at least one game in 11 of 14 previous trips to the NCAA postseason. Here is a game-by-game look at WWU in the NCAA postseason:

 

2006 (0-1):

Lost to UC San Diego, 4-0 (La Jolla, CA)

 

2008 (1-1):

Defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills, 1-0 (Bellingham, WA / Orca Field)

Lost to Seattle Pacific, 1-0 (OT) - West Region Final (Kirksville, MO)

 

2012 (2-1):

Defeated Cal Poly Pomona, 2-1 (OT) (Rohnert Park, CA)

Defeated Sonoma State, 2-1 (OT) (Rohnert Park, CA)

Lost to UC San Diego, 2-1 (OT) – West Region Final (Denver, CO)

 

2013 (3-1):

Defeated Seattle Pacific, 2-0 (Bellingham, WA / Orca Field)

Defeated Cal State San Bernardino, 1-0 – West Region Final (Bellingham, WA / Orca Field)

Defeated St. Edward's 2-0 - National Quarterfinal (Bellingham, WA / Orca Field)

Lost to West Florida, 2-1 (OT) – National Semifinal (Evans, GA)

 

2014 (0-1):

Lost to Stanislaus State, 1-0 (Bellingham, WA / Harrington Field)

 

2015 (3-1):

Defeated Seattle Pacific, 1-0 (Bellingham, WA / Harrington Field)

Defeated Azusa Pacific, 1-0 – West Region Final (Bellingham, WA / Harrington Field)

Defeated Dallas Baptist, 3-1 - National Quarterfinal (Bellingham, WA / Harrington Field)

Lost to Grand Valley State, 3-2 – National Semifinal (Pensacola, FL)

 

2016 (5-0):

Defeated Central Washington, 2-0 (Bellingham, WA / Harrington Field)

Defeated UC San Diego, 2-1 (OT) – West Region Final (Golden, CO)

Defeated Colorado Mines, 5-1 - National Quarterfinal (Golden, CO)

Defeated Kutztown, 3-0 - National Semifinal (Kansas City, MO)

Defeated Grand Valley State, 3-2 – National Championship Game (Kansas City, MO)

 

2017 (1-1):

Defeated Sonoma State, 2-0 (Bellingham, WA / Harrington Field)

Lost to UC San Diego, 2-0 – West Region Final (La Jolla, CA)

 

2018 (2-0-1):

Defeated Sonoma State, 1-0 (Portland, OR)

Defeated Concordia, 3-2 (OT) (Portland, OR)

Tied UC San Diego, 0-0 (2OT) – lost 4-1 on PK – West Region Final (Canyon, TX)

 

2019 (5-1):

Defeated Stanislaus State, 1-0 (Rohnert Park, CA)

Defeated Cal State LA, 1-0 (2OT) (Rohnert Park, CA)

Defeated Point Loma, 1-0 – West Region Final (Bellingham, WA / Harrington Field)

Defeated Dixie State, 3-0 – National Quarterfinal (Bellingham, WA / Harrington Field)

Defeated Flagler, 2-0 – National Semifinals (Pittsburgh, PA)

Lost to Grand Valley State, 1-0 (2OT) – National Championship Game (Pittsburgh, PA)

 

2021 (1-1):

Defeated Point Loma, 1-0 (Bellingham, WA / Harrington Field)

Lost to Seattle Pacific, 2-1 – West Region Final (Dallas, TX)

 

2022 (5-0):

Defeated Point Loma, 1-0 (Bellingham, WA / Harrington Field)

Defeated Concordia Irvine, 1-0 – West Region Final (Bellingham, WA / Harrington Field)

Defeated Colorado School of Mines, 3-1 – National Quarterfinal (Bellingham, WA / Harrington Field)

Defeated Columbus State, 2-1 – National Semifinal (Seattle, WA)

Defeated West Chester, 2-1 – National Championship Game (Seattle, WA)

 

2024 (1-1):

Defeated Azusa Pacific 2-1 (Pomona, CA)

Lost to Cal Poly Pomona, 1-0 (Pomona, CA)

 

2025 (0-0-1):

Tied Azusa Pacific, 1-1 (2OT) – lost 6-5 on PK (Bellingham, WA / Harrington Field)