Wednesday, November 20, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. – The accolades are pouring in for the Western Washington women’s soccer team. After a perfect 12-0-0 run in conference play and a pair of 2-1 victories to win the 2019 GNAC Championships, the Vikings just keep rolling.

The Vikings saw 12 players selected to the All-Conference Team, including four first-teamers in senior forward Karli White, junior midfielder Grace Eversaul, senior defender Emily Nelson and junior goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx. White was named the GNAC Player of the Year while Nelson earned GNAC Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Junior forward Zoe Milburn, senior midfielder Jordyn Bartelson and junior midfielder Darby Doyle earned Second Team All-GNAC honors. Milburn tied a GNAC record when she scored four goals in the Vikings’ 8-0 win over Montana State Billings on Oct. 5. Doyle netted four goals of her own on the season while adding three assists. Bartelson notched the equalizer in the Vikings’ 2-1 win over Seattle Pacific in the GNAC Championships.

The Vikings also dominated the conference with five selections to the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-West Region Team. White, Eversaul, Nelson and senior Defender Peyton Chick all landed on the All-West Region First Team while Dierickx earned second-team honors. The four first-team selections will go forward to earn consideration for the D2CCA All-America Team.

Winning the GNAC Championships earned Western Washington the conference’s automatic berth to the Division II Championships. The Vikings earned the No. 3 seed in the West Region of the 2019 NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Championship. They will play sixth-seeded Stanislaus State at 10 a.m. on Friday at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, California. If the Vikings win, they will advance to play the winner of the match between Sonoma State and Cal State LA.