Western Washington University Athletics

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Backed by another multi-goal performance by freshman forward Madeline Mays, the Western Washington University women's soccer team continued its recent offensive surge with a 3-0 victory over No. 23 nationally ranked Seattle Pacific University Saturday night in front of 516 fans at Harrington Field.

 

Two days after recording a hat trick in a 3-0 win over Montana State Billings, Mays tallied a pair of first-half goals to record the brace as part of her five-goal week. Senior midfielder Reese Walker added a second-half insurance goal off a perfectly placed pass from freshman midfielder Ariana Lopez to seal the Vikings fifth consecutive win over the rival Falcons.

 

The Vikings moved into first place in the GNAC following the second week of conference games at 3-0-1, extending its unbeaten streak in league play to 33 consecutive games. WWU improved to 5-1-3 overall and 4-1-2 at Harrington Field. The Falcons entered the week ranked No. 23 in the nation but endured a pair of shutout losses to fall to 5-3-0 overall and 2-2-0 in GNAC contests.

 

"Results like these are great and we enjoy them, but more that that was the effort the team put in today. It was real unselfish work by everyone – I think 18 or 19 players – that worked together for this win," said WWU head coach Travis Connell. "That is the type of competitive, unselfish work ethic and competitiveness that really made the difference in the game tonight. That's a great foundation for what we are trying to build."

 

WWU survived the early physical play of SPU to keep the game scoreless through the first 30 minutes of play. Mays gave the Vikings the lead at the 31:41 mark one-timing her shot into the back of the net from 9-yards out. The play started off a throw-in that Walker sent towards the top of the box that sophomore forward Triya Mitchell headed on to Mays.

 

Just over 10 minutes later Mays secured the brace with a highlight-reel goal from 19-yards out. Junior Arriannah King combined with senior Mie Cairns on a pass sequence to build the attack, finding Mays just outside of the 18-yard box where she unleashed a right-footed strike into the top right corner of the goal.

 

"Maddie (Mays) had a pretty great week production wise … she has that quality and there are others players on this team that have that quality," added Connell. "We are excited to see this moving forward as they keep finding their groove."

 

The Vikings defense held the Falcons to three shots in the second half and Walker put the game away in the 87th minute with her second goal of the season. Freshman winger Ruby Senffner found Lopez, who slipped a pass through to Walker that was finished into the top right of the goal.

 

Western held a 12-10 advantage in total shots and 5-4 in shots on goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Ellie McGowan made three saves to earn her fifth clean sheet of the season. Senior Olivia Connell and freshman Blake Francis anchored the defensive shutout performance playing the full 90, with Cairns also playing every minute in the midfield while recording her second assist of the season.

 

The first-place Vikings (5-1-3, 3-0-1 GNAC) return to the road for the next three games beginning with conference games next week at Western Oregon (Thursday, 2 pm) and Saint Martin's (Saturday, 3:30 pm). The complete 2026 schedule can be viewed online via wwuvikings.com/WSOC.

 

WWU extended its unbeaten streak in GNAC contests to 33 consecutive games, going 26-0-7 during this stretch dating to the end of the 2023 season … the Vikings defense and goalkeeper Ellie McGowan have posted six shutouts, including four straight (not allowed mor than one goal in a game this season) … WWU is 4-1-2 at Harrington Field this season and 104-8-13 all-time at the on-campus facility since opening in 2014 … WWU drew 516 fans to increase its home average attendance to nearly 400 fans per game to rank among the national leaders.

 

WWU won its fourth consecutive game vs. the Falcons after going 3-0-0 last season … the Vikings lead the all-time series over SPU 27-24-10 with a 23-6-7 mark in the last 36 meetings since 2013 … current six-game unbeaten streak against SPU including two ties in 2024.

 

Western Washington 3, #23 Seattle Pacific 0

Date: September 26, 2026

Field: Harrington Field     Site: Bellingham, WA

Attendance: 516

 

Goals by period                 1  2    Tot

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

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

Western Washington............  2  1  -  3

 

SCORING SUMMARY:

1.        31:41      WWU      Mays (Walker, Mitchell)

2.        41:13      WWU      Mays (Cairns, King)

3.        86:44      WWU      Walker (Lopez, Senffner)

 

Shots: WWU 12, SPU 10

Shots on Goal: WWU 5, SPU 4

Saves: WWU 4 (McGowan – 3), SPU 2 (Schoennauer – 2)

Corners: SPU 2, WWU 1

Fouls: SPU 12, WWU 9

Offsides: WWU 2, SPU 1

Kits: WWU (Navy Blue), SPU (White)

Updated Records: WWU (5-1-3, 3-0-1), SPU (5-3-0, 2-2-0)

 

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

 

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 (11) and SPU (10) have combined to capture 21 of the 24 GNAC regular-season titles and nine of 13 conference postseason titles.

 

Here is a look at the results and updated standings following Saturday's games to conclude the second 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.

 

 

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