Saturday, November 21, 2015

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Catherine Miles made sure she went out a winner in her final match at Harrington Field.

The senior scored both of Western Washington’s second half goals, including the game-winner in the 63rd minute, to give the Vikings a 3-1 victory over Dallas Baptist Saturday in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Championship.

Miles provided the counter after the Patriots erased the Vikings’ 1-0 lead with a goal in the 55th minute. Miles took a pass from Taylor Hallquist on the near side, but her shot was tipped high by Dallas Baptist goalkeeper Jenna Ackerly. The senior was in position, though, for the rebound to knock in the game-winner, her second of the postseason.

Miles added her second strike in the 72nd minute, finding herself in the central point of the box and in position for a pass from Emily Webster, placing her header in the lower right-hand corner. The goals were her 12th and 13th of the season.

With the win, the West Region champion Vikings (16-3-3) earns a trip to Pensacola, Fla., for the NCAA Division II semifinals. They will face either Central Missouri or Grand Valley State on Thurs., Dec. 3.

“We played against a good, quality opponent, but this was one of our best games,” Western Washington head coach Travis Connell said of his team’s overall performance. “We got off to a great start, which has been our recipe in the playoffs. We created and played with a lot of energy. You have to give credit to Dallas Baptist and how they came out in the second half. But then you saw our maturity and experience and we did well in answering that goal.”

Aside from a 10-minute span in the second when Dallas Baptist scored their goal, Western Washington dominated the match. The Vikings outshot the Patriots 27-9 and allowed the visitors just three shots on goal.

With the home crowd behind them, Western Washington kept the offensive pressure on for the majority of the first half. Savanna Moorehouse needed just two minutes to put together the Vikings’ first opportunity of the afternoon, with her header sailing just wide if the right post. Catherine Miles came even closer in the 10th minute when her slow roller came across the box and banged off the right post.

Caitlin Jobanek created all by herself to tally the game-winner in the 14th minute. Receiving the ball just past the midfield line, she managed to elude three defenders and used a fourth to pass back to herself before she rocketed her shot across the box and into the far corner for her seventh goal of the season and her fourth of the postseason. The effort allowed the Vikings the 1-0 halftime lead.

Dallas Baptist, the South Central regional champs, had only one first half shot, but came out of halftime with substantially more fire. The Patriots had first quality opportunity in the 55th minute when Rebecca Kernen connected on a well-placed bicycle kick that went just wide of the left post. Just a minute later, McKenna Namken completed the set piece when she collected the defelction off of a Western Washington defender for the unassisted equalizer. The Patriots continued to keep momentum until Miles’ strike.

The win gives Western Washington their second trip to the national semifinals in three seasons. The Vikings last advanced in 2013, losing 2-1 in overtime to West Florida.