Soccer

WWU women's soccer falls short of 2nd straight GNAC title

Vikings' regional chances take hit after 2-1 loss to Simon Fraser
November 11, 2023 at 3:41 p.m.
Western Washington University’s Myka Carr battles for the ball at the sideline Sept. 9 during a match against Cal State Los Angeles. Carr scored the Vikings' lone goal in its 2-1 loss to Simon Fraser in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship on Saturday, Nov. 11.
Western Washington University’s Myka Carr battles for the ball at the sideline Sept. 9 during a match against Cal State Los Angeles. Carr scored the Vikings' lone goal in its 2-1 loss to Simon Fraser in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship on Saturday, Nov. 11. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)

By CDN Staff

Western Washington University women's soccer was upset by Simon Fraser, 2-1, in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship match on Saturday, Nov. 11 at Tomlinson Stadium in Ellensburg.

The No. 2-seeded Vikings (12-5-4), making their 11th straight appearance in the title game, could not find an equalizer after redshirt sophomore Raegan Mackenzie put the No. 4-seeded Red Leafs (8-5-5) up one in the 80th minute.

Simon Fraser, coming off a previous 4-2 upset of top-seeded Seattle Pacific (No. 1 in West Region), won its first GNAC title since the tournament's inception in 2012 and secured the only automatic bid out of the conference to the six-team West Regional tournament.

Junior Isabella Muzzolini put Simon Fraser in control early, and for most of the game, when she gave the Red Leafs a 1-0 lead just more than a minute into the match.

It wasn't until the 57th minute that Western junior forward Myka Carr evened things up with her second goal of the season.

Mackenzie's would-be game-winner came with just 10 minutes remaining in regulation, and it was enough to vault Simon Fraser into the next round.

Western still has a chance to reach its 11th straight regional tournament when final selections are announced at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 13. 

The Vikings entered the title match as the No. 4-ranked team in the West Region, but Simon Fraser's auto berth and Seattle Pacific's top ranking before its loss will hurt the Vikings' chances.

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