Saturday, November 10, 2018

PORTLAND – Trailing by two goals with what appeared to be just five minutes remaining in its season, No. 16 Western Washington put together a shocking rally to stun 11th-ranked Concordia and advance to next week's NCAA West Regional title match. 

The 3-2 overtime victory in Saturday's second round contest sets up a rematch of last year's West Region final against No. 1 seed and sixth-ranked UC San Diego.

"You can't skill your way through that or tactics your way through that," said head coach Travis Connell when asked about overcoming the two-goal deficit. "The only way is to have an undeniable belief in yourself. That's why we love sports and you saw it here today."

For the majority of Saturday's second half, it appeared as if the host Cavaliers would be the ones advancing out of the Portland sub-regional. Grant Landy's team drew first blood on a 25-yard banger from Gabrielle Ewing in the match's 50th minute, and the club doubled its advantage in the 86th minute on a shot from 10 yards out by forward Quinn Williams. 

Shortly thereafter, the match turned on a dime. 

The Vikings refused to be conquered, scoring a pair of goals in the ensuing 78 seconds to stun the crowd at Tuominen Yard. Substitute Hattie North tallied her first goal of the season to get the rally started, a long-distance strike from over 20 yards out to cut the deficit in half.

With momentum on their side, WWU parlayed its first goal into another one just over a minute later. This time it was team-leader Gabriela Pelogi, beating the CU goalkeeper one-on-one before tapping the ball into the empty net from 18 yards out.

A tense overtime period followed as each side exchanged possessions and fouls without being able to get a decent look on goal. That changed in the match's 98th minute. 

On the first shot of the extra period, it was junior Emily Bunnell who did the honors. Bunnell took advantage of a great cross from Pelogi and headed the ball into the net from five yards out, ending the match and sending her team to the third round of the NCAA Championships.

"I knew Gabriela was working super hard to get the ball down the line," Bunnell said while recounting the golden goal. "I figured she would pull something off. We always practice shots from that tough angle and I was just able to utilize my head and flick it in."

Both offensive attacks ended the match on fairly even ground, with Concordia owning a 14-12 advantage in shots taken. Western Washington goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx recorded six saves in the victory.

The win improved the Vikings record to 18-3-1 on the season. It will return to the pitch next week against UC San Diego at a site still to be determined.