COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Western Washington University women's soccer team scored a pair of second-half goals to earn a hard-fought 2-2 tie on the road against the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs Sunday afternoon at Mountain Lion Stadium.

WWU battled back from a 2-0 halftime deficit scoring goals in the 61st and 83rd minute to start the season with a pair of ties.

"We showed a lot of fight today coming back from a halftime deficit," said WWU head coach Travis Connell. "This team is starting to figure things out and there is certainly no quit in this group."

The Mountain Lions went up 1-0 with a goal in 31st minute just prior to a 30-minute weather delay due to lightning in the area, with Luka Johnson tucking a right-footed shot into the lower left corner following a failed clearance by Western and a short pass into the 18-yard box by Regan Dare. UCCS doubled its lead with just under two minutes prior to halftime when Abby Stassi fired a shot just under the crossbar for the goal.

WWU pulled to within one goal in the 61st minute when redshirt freshman midfielder Bayla Abraham laid off a pass to junior midfielder Reece Walker, who curled in her shot from outside the 18-yard box for her first goal as a Viking.

The Vikings found the equalizer in the 83rd minute off a set piece with a left-footed corner kick by Emily Rice finding the head of junior defender Olivia Connell, redirecting a shot into the lower left corner for the goal.

WWU scored a 79th-minute equalizer in its 1-1 tie Thursday in the season opener at MSU Denver.

Each team recorded 13 shots in the game, with Western holding a 7-5 advantage in the second half, and the Vikings edging UCCS 6-4 in shots on goal. 

The Vikings (0-0-2) conclude their three-game Colorado road trip to open the 2025 season Wednesday facing No. 4 nationally ranked Colorado School of Mines with kickoff scheduled for 7 pm MT/6 pm PT at Stermole Soccer Stadium. The complete 2025 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/25_WSOC.

Western Washington 2, UC Colorado Springs 2

Date: September 7, 2025

Field: Mountain Lion Stadium     Site: Colorado Springs, CO

Attendance: 120

Goals by period                 1  2    Tot

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Western Washington............  0  2  -  2

UCCS..........................  2  0  -  2

SCORING SUMMARY:

1.      30:21      UCCS       Johnson (Dare)

2.      43:07      UCCS       Stassi (Dare)

3.      60:32      WWU        Walker (Abraham)

4.      82:31      WWU        Connell (Rice)

Shots: WWU 13, UCCS 13

Shots on Goal: WWU 6, UCCS 4

Saves: WWU 2 (Courtney – 2), UCCS 4 (Mirshafiei - 4)

Corners: WWU 3, UCCS 1

Fouls: WWU 14, UCCS 9

Offsides: WWU 3, UCCS 3

Kits: WWU (Black), UCCS (White)

Updated Records: WWU (0-0-2), UCCS (1-0-1)

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

The Western Washington University women's soccer program has risen to the top of the Division II ranks, appearing in the NCAA Championships in 11 of the last 12 seasons and winning a pair of national championships in 2016 and 2022. WWU has advanced to the NCAA II Final Four in five of the last 11 seasons and played for the West Region championship in nine of the last 12 seasons (seven consecutive from 2015-22). The Vikings won the 2022 NCAA Division II National Championship with a 2-1 win over No. 1 nationally ranked West Chester, played for the 2019 national title and won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2016 with an undefeated 24-0-1 record, beating three-time defending national champion Grand Valley State 3-2 in the title game in Kansas City, Missouri. The program has claimed nine of the last 13 Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season titles (2024 Champions) and won five of the last eight GNAC Tournament titles (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022). Head coach Travis Connell is in his 23rd season leading the program in 2025 (30th overall at WWU) and has led the Vikings to 12 trips to the NCAA Championships and 19 consecutive winning seasons.