MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Washington University men's soccer team dropped a heartbreaker Saturday at Western Oregon, allowing a goal in the final 30 seconds to fall 2-1 in a game that decided the GNAC title.
WWU finished the regular season with an 8-7-3 overall record and placed 3rd in the conference standings at 6-3-1 (19 point). The Vikings will be the No. 3 seed in the inaugural GNAC Championships facing No. 2 seed Seattle Pacific at 11 am on Thursday at Terry Fox Field in Burnaby, BC. WWU and SPU split the regular-season series with each team winning on the road.
"A tough way to lose today, but I thought we did a great job with our effort and the guys really battled for each other," said WWU head coach Greg Brisbon. "We are looking forward to playing in the GNAC Tournament on Thursday."
The Wolves struck first in the 20th minute when Yahir Ocampo Navarro threaded his right-footed shot through the Viking defense just inside the far post to give WOU the 1-0 lead.
WWU equalized on the opening possession of the second half when freshman Zack Robertson found the back of the net at the 45:38 mark to tie the game 1-1.
The game looked to head to a 1-1 tie with both teams batting throughout the tight second half, but WOU found last-minute magic to earn the victory and clinch their second consecutive GNAC title.
Harper Neubeck slipped into the 6-yard box and got on the end of a pass from Michael Divano to score the game-winning goal with 31 seconds remaining. WOU improved to 10-4-4 overall with its fifth consecutive victory and finished in a first-place tie with SPU atop the GNAC standings at 6-2-2. The Wolves won the tiebreaker to earn the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye at the GNAC Tournament.
The Vikings (8-7-3, 6-3-1 GNAC) turn their attention to the postseason with the inaugural GNAC Men's Soccer Championships hosted by Simon Fraser next week in Burnaby, B.C. WWU plays in the semifinal game Thursday against Seattle Pacific with kickoff scheduled for 11 am at Terry Fox Field at SFU Stadium. More information on the GNAC Tournament can be found online at GNACSports.com.
Western Oregon 2, Western Washington 1
Date: November 8, 2025
Field: WOU Soccer Turf Field Site: Monmouth, OR
Attendance: 156
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
--------------------------------------------
Western Washington............ 0 1 - 1
Western Oregon................ 1 1 - 2
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 19:15 WOU Ocampo Navarro (Villalobos)
2. 45:38 WWU Robertson
3. 89:29 WOU Neubeck (Divano)
Shots: WOU 15, WWU 8
Shots on Goal: WOU 4, WWU 2
Saves: WWU 2 (Dyer - 2), WOU 1 (Valdez - 1)
Corners: WOU 3, WWU 2
Fouls: WOU 12, WWU 11
Offsides: WWU 0, WOU 0
Kits: WWU (Light Blue), WOU (Black)
Updated Records: WWU (8-7-3, 6-3-1), WOU (10-4-4, 6-2-2)
Here is a look at Western's record breakdown for the 2025 season:
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2025 RECORD BREAKDOWN
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|
Overall Record
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8-7-3
|
|
Streak
|
L1
|
|
Home
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6-2-1
|
|
Away
|
2-5-2
|
|
Neutral
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0-0-0
|
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GNAC Record
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6-3-1
|
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Non-Conference
|
2-4-2
|
|
Ranked Opponents
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1-1-0
|
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Scoring First
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8-1-0
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Opponent Scores First
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0-6-3
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Lead at the Half
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5-0-0
|
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Tied at the Half
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3-4-1
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Trail at the Half
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0-3-2
|
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Record by Kit
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|
White
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0-2-1
|
|
Navy Blue
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0-3-0
|
|
Light Blue
|
4-2-0
|
|
Black
|
4-0-2
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GNAC STANDINGS & SCHEDULE
Here is a look at the final regular season GNAC Men's Soccer standings for the 2025 season. WWU, Seattle Pacific and Western Oregon qualified for the inaugural GNAC Championships with play opening Thursday at Terry Fox Field at SFU Stadium in Burnaby, B.C. on Thursday. Conference standings, schedules, results and statistics can be found online at GNACsports.com.
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|
School
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Points
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GNAC
|
Pct.
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Overall
|
Pct.
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Home
|
Away
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Neutral
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Streak
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Last 10
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1.
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Seattle Pacific *+
|
20
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6-2-2
|
.700
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11-3-4
|
.722
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6-2-1
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5-1-3
|
0-0
|
W2
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6-2-2
|
|
2.
|
Western Oregon *+
|
20
|
6-2-2
|
.700
|
10-4-4
|
.667
|
5-1-3
|
3-2
|
2-1-1
|
W5
|
6-2-2
|
|
3.
|
Western Washington *
|
19
|
6-3-1
|
.650
|
8-7-3
|
.528
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6-2-1
|
2-5-2
|
0-0
|
L1
|
6-3-1
|
|
4.
|
Simon Fraser
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16
|
5-4-1
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.550
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6-9-3
|
.417
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4-3
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1-5-2
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1-1-1
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W1
|
5-4-1
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|
5.
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Northwest Nazarene
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11
|
3-5-2
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.400
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7-7-4
|
.500
|
5-2-1
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1-4-2
|
1-1-1
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L1
|
4-4-2
|
|
6.
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Saint Martin's
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0
|
0-10
|
.000
|
1-17
|
.056
|
0-7
|
0-6
|
1-4
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L11
|
0-10
|
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* Clinched spot in GNAC Championships Nov. 13-15 in Burnaby, BC, + GNAC co-Champion
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This Week's GNAC Schedule
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Thursday, November 6:
at Western Oregon 3, Simon Fraser 1
Western Washington 2, at Saint Martin's 0
Saturday, November 8:
at Western Oregon 2, Western Washington 1
Seattle Pacific 4, at Northwest Nazarene 1
Simon Fraser 3, at Saint Martin's 0
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