Thursday, December 1, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Success has not been in short supply over the last four years for the Western Washington women’s soccer team, which is the second winningest team in NCAA Division II during that time frame. There is one hurdle, however, that the Vikings have yet to get past during their dominant run. Western Washington is into its third NCAA semifinal in the last four years and is looking for its first trip to the national championship match.

Western Washington will play Atlantic Region champion Kutztown on Thursday at 8 p.m. (Central) in Kansas City, Mo. in the Swope Soccer Village for a spot in the national championship match.

In 2013, the Vikings shutout three consecutive opponents to reach the final four with an overall record of 20-1-1 on the season. Western Washington traveled to Evans, Ga. for the semifinal match, but lost in heart-breaking fashion to West Florida on a golden goal in the 94th minute, ending the Vikings’ longest playoff run in program history.

It only took two years for the Vikings to get back to the same stage, defeating Seattle Pacific, Azusa Pacific and Dallas Baptist to get back into the national semifinals. Again, however, the Vikings couldn’t get past the penultimate hurdle, taking a 3-2 loss to the eventual champion Grand Valley State, which is now the three-time defending national champion.

This year, WWU is back into the national semifinals, bringing a 22-match winning streak into the match against Kutztown. The streak is one win away from tying the GNAC record set by 2007 national champion Seattle Pacific. Kutztown reached this stage in the tournament with a 2-1 victory over Bridgeport, which WWU beat 1-0 early in the 2016 season.

Western Washington enters the match unbeaten this season, but Kutztown has already beaten a once-undefeated team in this tournament, beating 19-0-1 West Chester, 3-2. Kutztown is now 22-4 this season.

On the other side of the draw, three-time defending champion Grand Valley State is looming. The Lakers will first have to get past Columbus State, which ended the Cinderella run by West Florida with a 2-1 double-overtime victory. The winners of each semifinal will play at 4 p.m. (Central) on Saturday in Kansas City, Mo.

As good as the Vikings were in the regular season, they have been just as tough to beat in the postseason, recording five consecutive wins including the GNAC Championships. Overall, the Vikings have outscored opponents 15-3, including a 5-1 win over Colorado Mines in the quarterfinals.

A big key to the Vikings’ playoff success has been the offensive output by two underclassmen. Sophomore Gabriela Pelogi is now the Vikings’ leading goal-scorer with five goals in the post season to go along with an assist. Freshman Liv Larson has also recorded three goals, including two in the win over Colorado Mines.

The Vikings have also earned several All-American honors, starting with defender Sierra Shugarts, who was named First Team All-American by both the Division II Conference Commissioners Association and the NSCAA. GNAC Defensive Player of the Year Emily Webster earned Second Team All-American recognition on both lists. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Ashley Homer was an NSCAA Third Team All-American selection and Caitlyn Jobanek was an honorable mention by D2CCA.