The Western Washington women’s soccer team began its four-game homestand with a 2-1 victory against Montana State University Billings Thursday, Oct. 17. The Vikings (6-2-4, 5-0-2) remain undefeated in the Great Athletic Northwest Conference halfway through the season after the victory.
“We have good kids who work hard and they understand how important it is to get better,” coach Travis Connell said. “It’s a hard turnaround for two soccer games in three days. Each week we have to plan to get better so we can compete for championships at the end of the season.”
MSU Billings had 14 shots compared to Western’s 13 shots, but only three of those 14 shots came inside the 18-yard box.
“We understand if that is all they’re getting, our goalkeepers will do a good job saving those,” Connell said. “We gave up more shots than we wanted to but some are from distance and anything can happen.”
The Yellowjackets first shot came in the 11th minute from Jackie Sharpe. She finished with a team-high four shots and an assist. The Yellowjackets had a couple more long-distance shots before Western took control.
In the 22nd minute, Morgan Manalili crossed the ball into the box, and Ashley Nguyen found it at her feet. After stumbling for a few seconds, she turned around and gave the Vikings a 1-0 lead.
“That first goal was beautiful,” Connell said. “Ashley and (Morgan) are a great combination there. We had a slow start to the season but our attack is heating up and Morgan is a huge part of that.”
The Yellowjackets tied the game in the 29th minute when Sharpe crossed the ball into the box and Kendall McGraw shot into the lower right corner. The Vikings game-winning goal came in the 43rd minute when Myka Carr received a through ball down the right sideline.
Carr popped her head up looking for a teammate and crossed the ball to Jane Hmura. Hmura tapped the ball back to Manalili, who fired into the bottom right corner to make it 2-1.
“I haven’t gotten many goals this season, and I’m happy that my goal today was the game-winner,” Manalili said.
In the second half, Western’s chances dwindled because of MSU Billings’ formation. The constant pressure and high intensity forced turnovers and limited attacking chances for the Vikings.
On the other hand, the Yellowjackets had two shots bounce off the left post and was cleared by a Viking defender. The Vikings held strong in the final minutes and secured the victory after Sharoe took a final shot from distance to end the match.
Western will host Simon Fraser at 7 p.m. Saturday at Harrington Field.
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
