LACEY, Wash. – The No. 17 nationally ranked Western Washington University women's soccer team needed the full 90 minutes to pull out a 2-1 road win over Saint Martin's University Saturday afternoon at Saints Field.
The Saints (10th minute) and Vikings (11th minute) exchanged early goals with the game remaining 1-1 until the final minute of action. Freshman defender Chloe Van Wey sent a corner kick towards the far post, where senior defender Olivia Connell was waiting. Connell gathered the ball with a touch and delivered the game-winning goal with a strong right-footed shot with 28 seconds remaining.
WWU extended its unbeaten streak to nine consecutive games (6-0-3) with its fourth straight win, improving to 7-1-3 overall and 5-0-1 in GNAC play. The Vikings are one point in front of Simon Fraser in the GNAC table with 16 points, with the Vikings and Red Leafs set to meet next Saturday at Harrington Field in Bellingham after a trip to play at Northwest Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho on Thursday.
"We were not at our best today, but we grinded it out on the road and found a way to get the win," said WWU head coach Travis Connell. "I am proud of the team for their determination and belief to get the victory. Coach Jamie (Arthurs) gets a lot of credit … working tirelessly on our set pieces and restarts, and we got one late when we needed it. We are happy to head home with a win today."
The Saints (1-9-1, 0-6-0 GNAC) got off to a quick start scoring the opener late in the 10th minute when Cora Murray found the back of the net off an assist from Audrey Gadawski.
Less than a minute later, the Vikings equalized at the 10:34 mark with senior Reese Walker scoring her third goal of the season. Van Wey took a free kick from distance that fell to the feet of junior Audrey Holdridge, who fired a pass across the box to Walker in front of the goal for the finish between a pair of defenders.
The Vikings held a 17-12 advantage in total shots and a 9-6 edge in shots on goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Ellie McGowan made a season-best five saves.
The first-place Vikings (7-1-3, 5-0-1 GNAC) are back in action next week with a pair of GNAC matches, traveling to play at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday (4 pm MT) and back at Harrington Field on Saturday hosting Simon Fraser (7 pm). The complete 2026 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/WSOC.
WWU extended its unbeaten streak in GNAC contests to 35 consecutive games, going 28-0-7 during this stretch dating to the end of the 2023 season … the Vikings had their string of four consecutive shutouts snapped, but have still not allowed more than one goal in a game this season for a 0.36 goals against average … WWU leads the all-time series vs. Saint Martin's 32-2-2 since the first meeting in 2007, with a current 28-game unbeaten streak dating back to 2011 (27-0-1).
#17 Western Washington 2, Saint Martin's 1
Date: October 3, 2026
Field: Saints Field Site: Lacey, WA
Attendance: 85
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
-----------------------------------------------
Western Washington............ 1 1 - 2
Saint Martin's................ 1 0 - 1
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 9:55 SMU Murray (Gadawski)
2. 10:34 WWU Walker (A. Holdridge)
3. 89:32 WWU Connell (Van Wey)
Shots: WWU 17, SMU 12
Shots on Goal: WWU 9, SMU 6
Saves: WWU 5 (McGowan – 5), SMU 7 (Bullock – 7)
Corners: WWU 7, SMU 2
Fouls: SMU 17, WWU 9
Offsides: WWU 2, SMU 1
Kits: WWU (Navy Blue), SMU (Red)
Updated Records: WWU (7-1-3, 5-0-1), SMU (1-9-1, 0-6-0)
Here is a look at Western's record breakdown for the 2026 season:
|
2026 RECORD BREAKDOWN
|
|
Overall Record
|
7-1-3
|
|
Streak
|
W4
|
|
Home
|
4-1-2
|
|
Away
|
3-0-1
|
|
Neutral
|
0-0-0
|
|
GNAC Record
|
5-0-1
|
|
Non-Conference
|
2-1-2
|
|
Ranked Opponents
|
1-1-0
|
|
Scoring First
|
6-0-1
|
|
Opponent Scores First
|
1-1-0
|
|
Lead at the Half
|
4-0-0
|
|
Tied at the Half
|
3-0-3
|
|
Trail at the Half
|
0-1-0
|
|
Record by Kit
|
|
White
|
1-0-0
|
|
Navy Blue
|
2-0-1
|
|
Light Blue
|
4-1-0
|
Here is a look at the results and updated standings following Saturday's games to conclude the third week of conference games. The top four teams in the standings at the conclusion of the regular season advance to play in the 2026 GNAC Championships held November 5-7 at Interbay Stadium in Seattle. Updated conference standings, schedules, results and statistics can be found online at GNACsports.com.
|
|
School
|
Points
|
GNAC
|
Pct.
|
Overall
|
Pct.
|
Home
|
Away
|
Neutral
|
Streak
|
Last 10
|
|
1.
|
Western Washington
|
16
|
5-0-1
|
.917
|
7-1-3
|
.773
|
4-1-2
|
3-0-1
|
0-0-0
|
W4
|
6-1-3
|
|
2.
|
Simon Fraser
|
15
|
5-1-0
|
.833
|
7-2-1
|
.750
|
3-1
|
3-1-1
|
1-0-0
|
W2
|
7-2-1
|
|
3.
|
Seattle Pacific
|
10
|
3-2-1
|
.583
|
6-3-1
|
.650
|
2-1-1
|
4-2-0
|
0-0-0
|
W1
|
6-3-1
|
|
4.
|
Northwest Nazarene
|
8
|
2-2-2
|
.500
|
2-5-3
|
.350
|
1-1-1
|
1-4-2
|
0-0-0
|
W1
|
2-5-3
|
|
5.
|
Montana State Billings
|
7
|
2-3-1
|
.417
|
2-4-4
|
.400
|
0-3-2
|
2-1-2
|
0-0-0
|
L2
|
2-4-4
|
|
|
Central Washington
|
7
|
2-3-1
|
.417
|
2-6-3
|
.318
|
1-1-2
|
1-4-1
|
0-1-0
|
L1
|
2-5-3
|
|
7.
|
Western Oregon
|
5
|
1-3-2
|
.333
|
2-5-3
|
.350
|
1-2-1
|
1-2-2
|
0-1-0
|
L2
|
2-5-3
|
|
8.
|
Saint Martin's
|
0
|
0-6-0
|
.000
|
1-9-1
|
.136
|
1-5
|
0-3-0
|
0-1-1
|
L7
|
1-8-1
|
|
This Week's GNAC Schedule
|
|
Thursday, October 1:
Simon Fraser 5, at Saint Martin's 0
Western Washington 2, at Western Oregon 0
Northwest Nazarene 1, at Seattle Pacific 1
Central Washington 1, at Montana State Billings 0
Saturday, October 3:
Simon Fraser 3, at Western Oregon 1
Northwest Nazarene 1, at Montana State Billings 0
at Seattle Pacific 3, Central Washington 1
Western Washington 2, at Saint Martin's 1
|
Here is a look at the Vikings 2026 schedule and game-by-game results:
|
DATE
|
OPPONENT
|
LOCATION / VENUE
|
RESULT
|
|
8/27 (Thu.)
|
Hawai'i Hilo
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
W, 2-0
|
|
8/30 (Sun.)
|
UC Colorado Springs (#10)
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
L, 0-1
|
|
9/4 (Fri.)
|
@Cal State Monterey Bay
|
Seaside, CA (Cardinale Stadium)
|
T, 0-0
|
|
9/7 (Mon.)
|
@Cal State East Bay
|
Alameda, CA (Oakland Roots Facility)
|
W, 3-1
|
|
9/13 (Sun.)
|
Colorado School of Mines
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
T, 1-1
|
|
9/17 (Thu.)
|
Northwest Nazarene GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
W, 1-0
|
|
9/19 (Sat.)
|
Central Washington GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
T, 0-0
|
|
9/24 (Thu.)
|
Montana State Billings GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
W, 3-0
|
|
9/26 (Sat.)
|
Seattle Pacific GNAC (#23)
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
W, 3-0
|
|
10/1 (Thu.)
|
@Western Oregon GNAC
|
Monmouth, OR (WOU Soccer Field)
|
W, 2-0
|
|
10/3 (Sat.)
|
@Saint Martin's GNAC
|
Lacey, WA (SMU Soccer Field)
|
W, 2-1
|
|
10/8 (Thu.)
|
@Northwest Nazarene GNAC
|
Nampa, ID (NNU Soccer Field)
|
4:00 pm (MT)
|
|
10/10 (Sat.)
|
Simon Fraser GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
7:00 pm
|
|
10/15 (Thu.)
|
Saint Martin's GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
7:00 pm
|
|
10/17 (Sat.)
|
Western Oregon GNAC
|
Bellingham, WA (Harrington Field)
|
2:00 pm
|
|
10/22 (Thu.)
|
@Seattle Pacific GNAC
|
Seattle, WA (Interbay Stadium)
|
7:00 pm
|
|
10/24 (Sat.)
|
@Montana State Billings GNAC
|
Billings, MT (Yellowjacket Field)
|
12:00 pm (MT)
|
|
10/29 (Thu.)
|
@Simon Fraser GNAC
|
Burnaby, BC (Terry Fox Field)
|
7:00 pm
|
|
10/31 (Sat.)
|
@Central Washington GNAC
|
Ellensburg, WA (Tomlinson Stadium)
|
11:00 am
|
|
GNAC Championships (Seattle, WA)
|
|
Nov. 5 (Thu.)
|
GNAC Semifinal
|
Seattle, WA (Interbay Stadium)
|
|
|
Nov. 7 (Sat.)
|
GNAC Final
|
Seattle, WA (Interbay Stadium)
|
|
