Wednesday, August 17, 2016
by Western Washington Athletic Communications

BELLINGHAM, Wash. –  The women’s soccer match featuring preseason No. 3 Western Washington University and No. 4 University of Bridgeport on Sept. 22 at Harrington Field in Bellingham has been selected as the NCAA Division II Fall Game of the Week. The match will air nationally on ESPN3 and WatchESPN.

The Vikings and Purple Knights were both national semifinalists last season and enter the season ranked No. 3 and No. 4 respectively in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America preseason poll.

WWU is also the unanimous choice to repeat as the Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion and will be going for its record fifth consecutive regular-season conference title.

Led by 14th-year head coach Travis Connell, the Vikings are coming off a 21-2-1 overall mark in 2015 and has as built a 76-9-6 (.868) record over the last four seasons, reaching the NCAA II Tournament each season, including a pair of trips to the Final Four.

“First of all, this should be an exciting, entertaining game against two evenly matched teams,” said Connell. “We are honored to represent Western Washington University, the Bellingham community and the GNAC on a national platform. Western is a tremendous place and we are glad to be part of an event like this that will bring our community closer together.”

The WWU match vs. Bridgeport was one of three NCAA Division II selections, with one each from women’s soccer, men’s soccer (St. Edward’s vs. Colorado School of Mines) and women’s volleyball (Wheeling Jesuit vs. West Florida). These three games are part of Division II’s new media agreement. In total, 8-10 non-football and non-basketball games will be carried during the 2016-17 season on ESPN3 and WatchESPN. ESPN3 and WatchESPN will also carry 11 Division II football games and 18 basketball games. Also as part of the agreement, American Sports Network will broadcast 11 Division II football games and 18 basketball games.

ESPN3 is ESPN’s live multiscreen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually. It is accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices through WatchESPN. The network is currently available nationwide at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. It is also available at no cost to U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers, smartphones and tablets connected to on-campus educational and on-base military broadband and Wi-Fi networks.