Monday, November 9, 2015

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Western Washington and Seattle Pacific women’s soccer teams will continue their seasons in the NCAA Division II Championships, announced Monday on the NCAA Selection Show.

Western Washington will be the No. 1 seed of the tournament, receiving a bye in the first round. Seattle Pacific will be the No. 5 seed. Western Washington hosts the first round match on Harrington Field between No. 4 UC San Diego and SPU at 7 p.m., Pacific time, on Thurs., Nov. 12. The Vikings await the winner of the match in the second round at 1 p.m., Pacific time, on Sat., Nov. 14.

The Vikings received the No. 1 seed by winning the GNAC regular season and tournament titles and ending with an 18-1-1 overall record. The team enters the national tournament on a 17-match unbeaten streak, which includes 16 wins over that span. Last season, the Vikings were the No. 1 seed in the West Region, but fell in their second round match, 1-0, to Stanislaus State.

Western Washington is led by the top scoring offense and defense in the GNAC this season. They enter the national tournament having outscoring opponents by 41 goals. Catherine Miles was the team’s leading scorer this season with 10 goals and 24 points. The senior was named to the First Team All-GNAC for the third straight year. Defender Delanee Nilles was the GNAC Defender of the Year, leading a backline that allowed just 10 goals in 20 matches.

Seattle Pacific reached the national tournament for the 13th straight season and will face UC San Diego for the first time this year. With a win, they will take on Western Washington in a rematch of the GNAC Women’s Soccer Championships final. The Falcons lost to WWU 3-1.

The Falcons finished the season 13-4-2 and placed third in the conference’s regular season standings. They were led by GNAC Player of the Year Hannah Huesers, who paced the conference with 14 goals and 30 points. First Team All-Conference midfielders Isabel Farrell and Laura Moore were integral parts of the Falcons offense and defense. Moore was second on the team with 15 points and Farrell scored both goals for the Falcons in the GNAC tournament.

The Vikings and Falcons played two other times during the regular season. Western Washington came out victorious in each, with a 1-0 win on Oct. 1 and a 3-1 win on Oct. 17. Caitlyn Jobanek led the Vikings with three of their four goals against SPU this season, including both game-winners in the regular season.

On the other side of the West Region bracket, Azusa Pacific was named the No. 2 seed and will await the winner of No. 3 Sonoma State and No. 4 Point Loma. Western Washington defeated Sonoma State 2-0 in non-conference play earlier this season, while Seattle Pacific has not faced any other West Region opponents this year.