Thursday, December 5, 2019

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The GNAC’s top defender flashed some magic on offense as Western Washington defeated Point Loma, 1-0, to claim the NCAA Division II West Regional title on its home turf.

Senior defender and GNAC Defensive Player of the Year Emily Nelson scored the game-winning goal in the 27th minute off a free kick from Peyton Chick from 45 yards out. It was Nelson’s fourth goal of the season and her first since Oct. 10. She finished the match with three shots, two of which were on goal.

“Peyton was just hitting dimes today,” Nelson said on the setup free kick by Chick. “It hit off my head and I was able to throw my body at it and get a touch in and I was ecstatic.”

The Vikings dominated on both sides of the ball, putting up 26 shots and 15 shots on goal while limiting Point Loma to just four total shots. The Sea Lions had a chance to tie it early in the second half as Jacqui Gerarden got a shot off toward the bottom right corner of the net in the 51st minute, but Vikings junior goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx came up with a diving save to preserve the lead.

“I knew our defense was going to show up and help me out a lot,” Dierickx said. “They worked so hard and I’m incredibly proud of them.”

The Vikings remained aggressive in the final moments, registering six shots in the last 10 minutes of the match to keep the ball on the Sea Lions’ side of the field until time expired. With the win, the Vikings improve to 21-2-0 and have won 17 straight matches dating back to Sept. 25.

A crowd of 725 was in attendance at Harrington Field as the Vikings got an extra energy boost from their fans to keep their national championship hopes alive.

“The fans were fantastic and it really fueled our players,” head coach Travis Connell said. “You could see the effort and determination in our game today and a lot of that comes from the people in the stands who are cheering us on.”

Western Washington advances to the NCAA Division II Quarterfinals, where it has a date with Dixie State, which won the South Central Regional title with a 2-1 win over Dallas Baptist. The Vikings and Trailblazers will meet at Harrington Field at 3 p.m. on Saturday.