PHOTOS: WWU Athletics
Nationally Ranked WWU Soccer Squads Post Victories
September 7, 2018
NO. 11 VIKINGS ROLL PAST HOLY NAMES 4-0
BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The 11th-ranked Western Washington University women’s soccer team applied constant offensive pressure with 35 total shots and scored four times in the second half to pull away from visiting Holy Names for a 4-0 victory in the home opener at Harrington Field on Thursday night.
The Vikings improved to 2-1-0, earning their 40th win at Harrington Field since the facility debuted in 2014 (40-2-1 all-time record at Harrington). Holy Names dropped to 1-1-0 with the loss.
WWU put 16 of its 35 shots on target during the game in controlling possession throughout the contest. Meanwhile, the defense for the Vikings held the Hawks to 2 total shots with none on goal in the commanding victory.
“It’s great to be at home again,” head coach Travis Connell said. “Playing on this field, in this weather, helps the way we defend. We had a lot of energy and took the game at our opponent, and that’s the way we want to play so it was great to see that and the goals.”
Senior defender Taylor Hallquist (Vancouver, WA/Columbia River) put the Vikings ahead in the 55th minute, finding space to dribble up the field and fire a shot from 25 yards away to the upper-right corner of the net. It was the second goal in three games for the senior.
The WWU lead doubled almost exactly three minutes later as sophomore midfielder Grace Eversaul (Vancouver, WA/Skyview)found space for a one-time strike to a loose ball deflected out to the top of the box. She fired her shot to the lower-right corner of the net in the 58th minute for a 2-0 WWU lead.
Sophomore midfielder Darby Doyle (Spokane, WA/Gonzaga Prep) made it a 3-0 lead for the Vikings in the 67th minute, gaining control of an attempted clearance off a corner kick and scoring from just outside the box to the lower-right corner of the net.
WWU upped its lead to 4-0 in the 77th minute when a shot from distance by freshman midfielder Caylie Etherington (Oak Harbor, WA) was saved but not corralled by the goalkeeper, leaving opportunity for junior defender Peyton Chick (Renton, WA/Kentridge) to score the deflection from close range.
Sophomore Natalie Dierickx (Kirkland, WA/Inglemoor/Colorado State) and senior Alyssa Treptow (Flagstaff, AZ) combined for the shutout at goalkeeper with Dierickx playing the first 62:48 before Treptow took over for the remainder of the contest.
Holy Names goalkeeper Nyah Summers made 11 saves for the Hawks, while the defense was credited with a team save as well.
WWU’s 16 shots on goal were the most in a game since WWU put 19 shot on frame in a 7-0 win over Western Oregon on Sept. 16, 2017. The 35 total shots were the most since producing 37 shots in a 4-0 win against Saint Martin’s on Oct. 10, 2017.
The Vikings had six shots on goal before halftime and 10 on frame during the four-goal second half.
“We were creating chances, and that’s the way soccer is – sometimes they go in and sometimes they don’t,” Connell said. “The key is that you’re creating the chances, and that was something we did a lot better today than we did in our first two games. That’s what you want to do, keep adding pieces to your team, keeping getting better, and we took some steps forward today.”
WWU hosts No. 7 MSU Denver for a top 25 matchup at Harrington Field on Saturday with a 7 pm kickoff. MSU Denver is a two-time national champion (2004 and 2006) while the Vikings are a year removed from claiming the national championship in 2016.
Single-game and season tickets for Western’s nine home games can be purchased at WWUVikings.com/Tickets.
All home matches will be streamed on GNAC.tv and VikingsTV with links available at WWUVikings.com/Live.
PAIR OF CHOLEWA GOALS LEADS VIKINGS TO 2-1
ROAD WIN AT PLNU
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Western Washington University sophomore midfielder Georg Cholewa scored a goal in each half, leading the No. 13 nationally-ranked Vikings to a 2-1 road victory over Point Loma Thursday afternoon at PLNU Soccer Field.
With the victory the Vikings improved to 3-0-0, all road wins, the best start in program history since also having a 3-0-0 start in 2000. WWU debuted in the United Soccer Coaches Division II national poll for the first time in program history at No. 13 after road wins at Sonoma State and Chico State last week.
Point Loma, ranked No. 23 in the preseason poll and received votes in this week’s poll, evened its season mark at 1-1-0. The loss was the first in the regular season for the Sea Lions since the second game of last season, snapping a string of 17 consecutive unbeaten regular-season matches.
“I am really proud of how the team played today, our best performance of the season, against a very quality opponent,” said head coach Greg Brisbon. “Georg (Cholewa) had a fantastic match and Gus (Diehl) played really well in the midfield. Overall a great team effort to gain an important road victory.”
Cholewa (Leipzig, Germany/Sportgymnasium Chemnitz) gave the Vikings a 1-0 in the 15th minute with a well-placed strike to the upper-left corner of the net from 22 yards away on the left side of the field. A foul set up the opportunity for Cholewa to send a curling shot past the player wall and out of reach of the diving Point Loma goalkeeper.
Cholewa (co-liv-uh) recorded the brace in the 79th minute on another free kick from the top of the 18-yard box, tucking it into the top right corner for his third goal of the season. The sophomore has now scored in each of WWU’s three games this season, with 3 goals and 2 assists, and has netted two game-winning goals.
“Georg played fantastic today and is off to a really good start this season,” added Brisbon. “That second goal was massive to give us a cushion, because we knew Point Loma would be strong down the stretch.”
Point Loma made it a one-goal game late in the second half, when Tim Siegfried converted a penalty kick opportunity in the 87thminute.
Freshman goalkeeper Brandon Wolter (Vancouver, WA/Union) helped lead the Vikings to the victory in his second career start, with the WWU defense limiting the Sea Lions to only one shot on goal (the PK).
WWU held a 15-6 edge in shots, while creating several scoring opportunities with a 10-1 advantage in shots on goal.
The Vikings (3-0-0) return to action this Saturday with a fourth consecutive road match to open the season, taking on Azusa Pacific University at 2:30 pm at the Cougar Soccer Complex in Azusa, California. WWU’s home opener will be next Tuesday hosting Hawai'i Hilo at Harrington Field at 7 pm.
“I am proud of the way this team has battled with basically a two-week road trip,” added Brisbon. “We are grinding and working hard and excited to get back out on the field on Saturday…and then return home to Harrington Field.”
