Western Washington University Athletics

SEATTLE, Wash. – In a clash of Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's soccer titans on Saturday at Interbay Stadium it was No. 7 Western Washington emerging with a 1-0 win over Seattle Pacific to claim its record seventh GNAC Championships tournament title.

 

GNAC Championships MVP Olivia Connell guided her team to its second straight tournament shutout and 16th overall shutout of the season, and freshman Madeline Mays scored the championship-winning goal in the 71st minute, helping the Vikings win their record seventh conference tournament trophy. 

 

"We have been waiting three years for this," said Connell. "This one means a lot to me and this team means a lot to me."

 

It marked the seventh time that WWU and SPU met in the championship match, with the Vikings beating the Falcons in the decisive contest for the fourth time. WWU, which has played in all 14 of the GNAC Championships title contests, improved to 7-4-3 all-time in the finals and won its first crown since the 2022 tournament.

 

"It has a nice ring to it – 'champions.' These things are hard to win, especially when you are playing a good, well-coached team like SPU on their home field," said GNAC Coach of the Year Travis Connell. "They gave us everything that we could handle today, and a lot of credit goes to the character of that group. In the end we got it done, and these players stepped up in big moments. These intense games get decided in just a few moments, and our players recognized those today and made plays."

 

Western Washington, which wrapped up its conference-record 12th regular-season championship a week ago, improved to 16-2-3 on the season with the victory and secured the conference's automatic berth into next week's NCAA West Region Championships. The Vikings avenged three consecutive GNAC Championships finals defeats coming at the hands of Simon Fraser the last three years.

 

"We have experienced it all," senior captain and all-tournament selection Mie Cairns said. "We have had hardships in the final, so to actually win it is the cherry on top. We have such a great team with so many new people – we kind of just pulled through and got the win today."

 

Freshman Blake Francis, who earned all-tournament recognition, was featured in two of the match's most important moments. The first came offensively as she set up Mays goal with a well-calculated pass into the left corner of the field. From there, Triya Mitchell took a touch and provided service into a dangerous spot near the six-yard box. Mays all the while lurked near the edge of the 18-yard box, and when the clearance found its way to her foot she took a touch past a defender and punched a high shot just under the crossbar and into the back of the net. 

 

"We needed it – there were not a lot of clear-cut, good chances for us throughout the match," Coach Connell said on the game-winner. "SPU made it really tough. That (play) is straight from training, and they executed it perfectly."

 

Francis' number would be called upon once again in the final minutes of the match, as she intuitively raced to the goal line to clear an SPU shot just before it rolled across. With the net open inside a jumbled goal box, the Falcons appeared to have equalized before Francis's last-second intervention.
 

 

"We couldn't have done it without her," Olivia Connell said on her fellow defender Francis. "She has been such a great addition to the back line. We work well together and I'm excited to keep playing more with her."

 

The Vikings out-shot the Falcons 21-12 in the match, with WWU goalkeeper Ellie McGowan making three important saves to pick up her 16th shutout of the campaign, tying the WWU single-season record. Connell was the lone Viking field player who stayed on the pitch all 180 minutes during her team's two victories in the tournament, and she converted a game-winning penalty kick in Thursday's 1-0 triumph over Central Washington. Connell became the sixth Viking to earn tournament MVP honors, joining Kristin Maris (2012), Caitlyn Jobanek (2015), Gabriela Pelogi (2016), Karli White (2017 & 2019) and Morgan Manalili. She is the first defender to win the award in the 14-year history of the conference tournament.

 

"This win feels amazing," said senior Jane Hmura. "We have all put in blood, sweat and tears into this team and into this program the past three years. It feels great getting the championship out of this."

 

November 5-7, 2026 | Interbay Stadium | Seattle, WA | Host: Seattle Pacific University

 

Thursday, November 5

Semifinal 1 – 11 am – No. Western Washington 1, No. 4 Central Washington 0

Semifinal 2 – 3 pm – No. 3 Seattle Pacific 0, No. 2 Simon Fraser 0 (SPU wins 4-3 on PKs)

 

Saturday, November 7

Final – 11 am – No. 1 Western Washington 1, No. 3 Seattle Pacific 0

 

WWU Players on All-Tournament Team

Olivia Connell (MVP)

Madeline Mays

Mie Cairns

Blake Francis

Chloe Van Wey

 

The NCAA Women's Soccer Show will air on NCAA.com on Monday at 4 pm, announcing the seven-team West Region bracket with play scheduled to start in the NCAA Tournament next weekend. Fans can view the selection show on the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer page at NCAA.com. The complete 2026 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/WSOC. 

 

The Vikings made 14th 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 advanced to play in all 14 championships games, going 14-0-0 in the semifinal round. Western is now a seven-time champion of the event, winning in 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2026. Following the 1-0 win over SPU, the Vikings are 21-4-3 all-time in the GNAC Tournament.

 

 

 

#7 Western Washington 1, Seattle Pacific 0

Date: November 7, 2026

2026 GNAC Championships Final

Field: Interbay Stadium     Site: Seattle, WA

Attendance: 230

 

Goals by period                 1  2    Tot

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

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

Seattle Pacific...............  0  0  -  0

 

SCORING SUMMARY:

1.        70:02      WWU      Mays (Mitchell)

 

Shots: WWU 21, SPU 12

Shots on Goal: WWU 7, SPU 4

Saves: WWU 4 (McGowan – 3), SPU 6 (Ramos – 6)

Corners: WWU 2, SPU 2

Fouls: SPU 11, WWU 5

Offsides: WWU 1, SPU 1

Kits: WWU (White), SPU (Black)

Updated Records: WWU (16-2-3), SPU (11-6-3)

 

Here is a look at Western's record breakdown for the 2026 season:

 

 

Here is a look at the Vikings 2026 schedule and game-by-game results:

 

 

WWU won its sixth consecutive game vs. the Falcons, sweeping the 2026 regular season series, after going 3-0-0 last season … the Vikings lead the all-time series over SPU 29-24-10 with a 25-6-7 mark in the last 38 meetings since 2013 … current eight-game unbeaten streak against SPU including two ties in 2024.

 

One of the great rivalries in college soccer, WWU (2016, 2022) and Seattle Pacific (2008) each have claimed an NCAA Division II national championship. WWU has advanced to the NCAA Championships in 12 of the last 13 seasons, while SPU has appeared in 17 of the last 22 seasons. WWU (12) and SPU (10) have combined to capture 22 of the 25 GNAC regular-season titles and 10 of 14 conference postseason titles.

 

The Vikings won their 12th GNAC regular-season title to earn the No. 1 seed in the GNAC Championships. WWU has won the last three GNAC titles and four of the last five. In addition to winning in 2024, 2025 and now 2025, WWU added to titles won in 2022, 2018-19, 2012-16 and. The Vikings have finished first or second in the final GNAC table in each of the last 14 seasons dating back to 2012.