Western Washington University Athletics

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's soccer team opened Great Northwest Athletic Conference play with a 1-0 shutout victory over Northwest Nazarene University Thursday evening at Harrington Field.

 

The Vikings extended their unbeaten streak in GNAC contests to 30 consecutive games with the victory in the 2026 conference opener. WWU is the two-time defending GNAC regular-season champions with Thursday's win improving the Vikings to 3-1-2 overall.

 

The Vikings and Nighthawks played a scoreless first half with each team creating limited scoring chances in the opening 45 minutes. WWU had the first threat in the 18th minute off a corner taken by Chloe Van Wey, that was headed towards the back of the net prior to Elliana Kimball clearing it for a team save.

 

NNU had three shots over the final 17 minutes including a flurry of activity in front of the goal in the 28th minute that the Vikings defense snuffed out to keep the game scoreless.

 

Western broke through in the 73rd minute when sophomore forward Triya Mitchell made a run towards the baseline after beating her defender and fired a cross into the middle of the box where junior midfielder Bayla Abraham connected on a one-time shot off her knee into the back of the net.

 

The Vikings held an overall 18-5 advantage in shots and 7-2 in shots on goal. NNU played an effective offside-trap style of defense that drew 11 offside calls on WWU.

 

"You have to give NNU a lot of credit. They caused us a lot of problems and made the game very difficult," said WWU head coach Travis Connell. "Our team kept believing and working hard, and eventually was rewarded with a good goal."

 

The Vikings (3-1-2, 1-0-0 GNAC) continue its five-game homestand on Saturday hosting Central Washington (0-4-2, 0-1-0 GNAC) with kickoff scheduled for 7 pm at Harrington Field. The complete 2026 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/WSOC.

 

WWU extended its unbeaten streak in GNAC congests to 30 consecutive games, going 24-0-6 during this stretch dating to the end of the 2023 season … the Vikings lead the all-time series vs. NNU 46-2-3 with a current 11-game unbeaten streak (9-0-2) since 2021 … Western is undefeated at 26-0-1 all-time vs. WWU in home games with a perfect 12-0-0 record at Harrington Field.

 

Western Washington 1, Northwest Nazarene 0

Date: September 17, 2026

Field: Harrington Field     Site: Bellingham, WA

Attendance: 465

 

Goals by period                 1  2    Tot

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

Northwest Nazarene............  0  0  -  0

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

 

SCORING SUMMARY:

1.        72:37      WWU      Abraham (Mitchell)

 

Shots: WWU 18, NNU 5

Shots on Goal: WWU 7, NNU 2

Saves: WWU 2 (McGowan – 2), NNU 6 (Barrass - 5)

Corners: WWU 6, NNU 2

Fouls: NNU 11, WWU 10

Offsides: WWU 11, NNU 0

Kits: WWU (Light Blue), NNU (Black)

Updated Records: WWU (3-1-2, 1-0-0), NNU (0-4-1, 0-1-0)

 

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

 

 

Here is a look at the results and updated standings following the opening night of the 2026 GNAC Women's Soccer schedule. 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.

 

 

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