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Nov. 2, 2009

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - The Western Washington University women's soccer team can capture a second straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship and with it an automatic berth in the NCAA Division II National Tournament with wins this week in its final two regular-season games.

The Vikings entertain Northwest Nazarene on Thursday (4 p.m.) at Orca Field on the campus of Whatcom Community College, then go to Montana State Billings on Saturday (12 noon).

Western, which is coming off a 1-1 tie in overtime against National Soccer Coaches Association of America/NCAA II No.6-ranked Seattle Pacific last Thursday, is unbeaten in its last five games (4-0-1), a season best.

The Vikings took over first place in the GNAC standings by one point, 23-22 (3 points for win, 1 for tie), following Seattle Pacific's 3-1 loss at Central Washington last Saturday, and are 7-1-2 in league play and 10-4-3 overall.

The Falcons are second in the league at 7-2-1 and are 14-3-1 overall. Seattle Pacific ends its regular season on the road against Montana State Billings on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

The Northwest Nazarene game will be the last at home for 10 Western seniors. They are midfielder Jenny Barton (Boise, ID/Borah), goalkeeper Kylie Broadbent (Spokane/Lewis & Clark), defender Bryn Gibson (Bellevue/Interlake), midfielder Kasey Hostetler (Richland/Hanford), midfielder Kelly Irving (Gig Harbor), midfielder Stephanie Janigo (Bellingham), forward Lucy Miller (Pacific Palisades, CA/Palisades Charter), defender Brynn Regan (Mercer Island), Samantha Sommer (Sandy, OR) and defender Meghan Woodman (Redmond).

Irving paces the team in scoring with 14 points. She has three goals and is tied for the league lead in assists with eight. Her four-year career assist total of 26 is tied for the school record set by Cindy Gordon from 1981 to 1984.

Forwards Emily Frankland (Jr., Sammamish/Skyline) and Molly Shannon (Jr., Bellingham) each have 13 points. Frankland has a team-best six goals and one assist, and Shannon has five goals and three assists.

Goalkeeper Kylie Broadbent (Sr., Spokane/Lewis & Clark) is tied for first in the GNAC in shutouts with eight and is second in goals against average at 0.75 and third in save percentage at .804. She has 16 career shutouts.

Broadbent had seven saves in the tie at Seattle Pacific including one with five minutes left in overtime which both coaches described as one of the best they had ever seen.

Miller scored the lone Viking goal at Seattle Pacific, that coming in the 66th minute to tie the game. Her other goal this season was the game-winner in a 3-2 victory over the then nationally No.1-rated Falcons at home on Oct. 3.

Northwest Nazarene is 3-11-3 overall and 1-9-0 in GNAC play, losing its last nine games after a 2-2-3 start. The Crusaders, who lost 2-0 to Western on Sept. 30 at Nampa, Id., have lost all five of their road games this season and have not scored in their last five contests.

Montana State Billings is 9-8-1 overall and fourth in the conference at 5-5-0. The Yellowjackets have lost four of their last five games following an 8-4-1 start. They are 3-4-0 at home this season, losing to Western, 3-0, at Bellingham on Oct. 24.

NOTES: Last week, the Vikings were ranked No.6 in the NSCAA West Region poll and No.7 in the NCAA poll ... Western has won all seven of its previous meetings with Northwest Nazarene and holds an 11-1-0 series advantage over Montana State Billings ... Western is 2-1-2 in its last five meetings with Seattle Pacific ... The Vikings' win over Seattle Pacific snapped a 21-game winning streak and a 27-game unbeaten streak by the Falcons ... Western's loss at Saint Martin's ended a 21-game unbeaten streak in GNAC counters (18-0-3) ... Western won last year's GNAC title with a 10-0-2 record and reached the championship game of the Far West Regional, losing 1-0 in overtime to Seattle Pacific ... The Vikings, coached by Travis Connell (7th year, 81-46-11), were ranked No.12 in the NSCAA/NCAA II Preseason Poll.