Thursday, November 3, 2022

NAMPA, Idaho – The Western Washington freshmen led the charge in Nampa with a pair of goals in the first half on the way to a 3-0 win over Simon Fraser in the semifinals of the 2022 GNAC Women’s Soccer Championships.

The Vikings were the dominant team in the midfield, forcing the majority of the Red Leafs’ chances to come from outside. Western Washington held the narrow edge in shots through the first half with an 8-6 advantage with both sides putting three on frame. The first goal of the match came courtesy of the 2022 GNAC Freshman of the Year Morgan Manalili. She corralled a rebound off of SFU goalkeeper Nicole Anderson after Vikings forward Estrera Levinte fired a shot that forced Anderson into a diving save. Fellow Vikings freshman Minji Rauch netted the second goal of the match off a cross from Levinte to put WWU up 2-0 heading into halftime.

Western Washington tightened up the defense even further in the second half, holding the Red Leafs to just one shot in while the offense surged and fired 14 of its own. The Red Leafs created opportunities in the corners but didn’t mount a serious threat through the second frame. The Western Washington defense was anchored by junior defenders Katie Watt and Kascia Muscutt. The pair played all 90 minutes for the Vikings as the back line limited Simon Fraser to nine shots. The Vikings added an insurance goal in the 84th minute off a corner kick when Chloe Unflat scored her first goal of the season on a header from Manalili’s kick.

Levinte’s pair of assists came in a match where she was consistently one of the most dangerous players on the pitch for Western Washington. She continued to generate offensive opportunities in the second half, beating several Simon Fraser defenders at the top of the box to continue pressing for the Vikings. The junior forward finished the match with two assists and four shots.

Isabella Muzzolini led the way for Simon Fraser’s offense, firing two shots in the first half and driving the attacking play through the midfield. She finished the match with three shots, one on goal. On the defensive side, Anderson finished the match with eight saves in net.

Western Washington will face the winners of the second semifinal match between Northwest Nazarene and Seattle Pacific on Saturday in Nampa.