Thursday, December 1, 2016

KANSAS City, Mo. – Western Washington advanced to its first ever NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer National Tournament championship match in program history on Thursday with a 3-0 victory over Kutztown in which the Vikings didn’t allow a single shot at Swope Soccer Village.

Western Washington outshot the Atlantic Region Champion 35-0 en route to its 17th shutout victory this season, putting 18 of those shots on frame and three of them into the net. The win was the 23rd consecutive victory for the Vikings, tying the all-time GNAC record for longest winning streak.

The Vikings will have a chance to break that record at 3 p.m. Central on Saturday in a rematch against Grand Valley State, which eliminated WWU last year in the semifinals. That loss was the second time that WWU had fallen in the penultimate round, but the Vikings returned to the NCAA semifinals for the third time in the last four years and made the most of this opportunity.

The Vikings dominated possession all game, creating six corner kick opportunities in the first 15 minutes of play. They finally took advantage when a pass by freshman Liv Larson was headed in by Becca Cates in the 25th minute for her second goal of the season.

Throughout the first half, WWU continued to create scoring opportunities, but had to settle for a 1-0 lead despite completely dominating play in the half.

Western Washington continued to put pressure on the Kutztown defense in the second half and added one more goal when sophomore Gabriela Pelogi vollied a ball off her foot past the goalkeeper off a pass by Peyton Chick for the insurance goal. It was Pelogi’s sixth postseason goal, including the GNAC Championships, where Pelogi was named tournament MVP.

The Vikings scored again in the 88th minute when a shot in the box was blocked by Jordyn Bartelson was right there to poke the ball in with a left-footed kick for a 3-0 lead. Colleen Lindsay was credited with the assist, which was her first of the season. For Bartelson, the goal was her fourth this year.

The Vikings’ 23-match winning streak ties the record set by Seattle Pacific in 2007 when the Falcons won the National Championship. Western Washington will be looking to break the record while also becoming the first GNAC team since the Falcons to win the national title. The Vikings will play Grand Valley State which is the three-time defending champion.