BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's soccer team heads into the 2026 season looking to build on a strong 2025 run after going 14-1-7 overall, winning the Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season title and earning the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division II West Regional in 2025.
 
The Vikings play three preseason exhibition matches in August and officially open the 2026 regular season August 27 against Hawai'i Hilo at Harrington Field.
 
WWU begins its Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule with its conference home opener September 17 hosting Northwest Nazarene at Harrington Field, followed two days later by another home matchup against Central Washington.
 
THE SCHEDULE
The Vikings open their preseason play with exhibition matches in Canada facing off against Victoria August 13, and Trinity Western August 17 before hosting Puget Sound at Harrington Field August 21.
 
WWU officially opens the regular season hosting Hawai'i Hilo August 27 before closing out the opening weekend against UC Colorado Springs August 30. The Vikings then travel to California for non-conference matches at Cal State Monterey Bay September 4 and Cal State East Bay September 7, before returning home to face Colorado School of Mines September 13.
 
The 14-match GNAC schedule begins with a pair of home contests against Northwest Nazarene September 17 and rival Central Washington September 19, both 7 pm matches at Harrington Field. WWU also hosts Montana State Billings, Seattle Pacific, Simon Fraser, Saint Martin's and Western Oregon in Bellingham during conference play, while traveling to Western Oregon, Saint Martin's, Northwest Nazarene, Seattle Pacific, Montana State Billings, Simon Fraser and Central Washington to close out the regular season October 31. The GNAC Championships are slated for November 5-7 at Interbay Stadium in Seattle.
 
RETURNING EXPERIENCE
The current 2026 roster features four seniors with midfielder Mie Cairns, forward/defender Jane Hmura, defender Olivia Connell and midfielder Reese Walker competing in their final collegiate season.
 
Cairns is one of Western's top returning attacking pieces after earning First Team All-GNAC honors in both 2024 and 2025. She started 21 of 22 matches during the 2025 season, recording four goals and one assist while helping lead the Vikings to the GNAC regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division II West Regional.
 
Walker also returns after a strong debut season with the Vikings, earning GNAC Newcomer of the Year and Honorable Mention All-GNAC recognition in 2025. She started all 22 matches and finished as Western's top returning scorer with four goals, two assists and 10 points.
 
Connell anchors the back line after starting all 22 matches during the 2025 season and earning Second Team All-GNAC honors. Hmura also provides senior experience across the field after appearing in 21 matches last season.
 
Goalkeeper Ellie McGowan returns after starting 16 matches during her freshman season and earning Honorable Mention All-GNAC honors.
 
Additional players to keep an eye on in 2026 include sophomores Triya Mitchell, Alina Kravtsov, Lillian Cobos and Arriannah King, along with juniors Avah Eslinger, Layne Davis, Audrey Holdridge and Emily Holdridge. Mitchell appeared in all 22 matches in 2025 and scored two goals, while Emily Holdridge started 20 matches and recorded three goals and two assists.
 
WWU opened its 2026 recruiting class with nine signees: forwards Madeline Mays and Ruby Senffner, midfielders Keira Reeves and Kayla Yun, midfielder/forward Haleigh Miller, defenders Chloe Van Wey, Dara Lauzen and Blake Francis, and goalkeeper Sadie Wylie. Midfielder Ariana Lopez also joins the freshman class.
 
The Vikings also have several players with transfer experience on the 2026 roster, including goalkeeper Ava Courtney, midfielder Bayla Abraham, defenders Addison Romey and Gemma Rowland, midfielder Kastle Lyman, defender Carly VanGiesen and defender Ella Witherspoon, giving Western added depth and collegiate experience across each level of the field.
 
COACHING STAFF
Head coach Travis Connell leads the Vikings in 2026, his 24th season at the helm of the WWU women's soccer program. Connell enters the 2026 season with a 339-90-53 overall record leading the women's program and overall has 464 head coaching wins at WWU. He has led the Vikings to NCAA Division II national championships in 2016 and 2022 and has helped build Western into one of the premier programs in the West Region. He is joined by assistant coaches Jamie Arthurs, Johann Lahud-Zahner and Alex Nelson.
 
2025 SEASON REVIEW
Western finished the 2025 season with a 14-1-7 overall record and an 11-0-3 mark in GNAC play, claiming the program's 11th GNAC regular-season title. The Vikings advanced to the GNAC Championship game before falling to Simon Fraser in penalty kicks following a scoreless draw.
 
Despite the setback, Western earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division II West Regional and hosted the first and second rounds at Harrington Field. The Vikings' season came to an end with a 1-1 draw against Azusa Pacific in the second round, with the Cougars advancing 6-5 in penalty kicks.
 
The Vikings were led by a large group of standout seniors Morgan Manalili, Claire Potter, Emily Rice, Kascia Muscutt and Asia Hardin. Manalili was named the GNAC Player of the Year and earned All-America honors contributing 17 goals and eight assists, while Potter, Hardin and Rice joined her as First Team All-GNAC selections. Hardin capped her career by setting both the program and GNAC career minutes played records, finishing as one of the most durable and reliable defenders in conference history. Reese Walker was named GNAC Newcomer of the Year, Connell earned GNAC Coach of the Year honors and six Vikings were named to the 2025 CSC Academic All-District Team.