Wednesday, October 29, 2014

PORTLAND, Ore. – With a 0-0 draw with Central Washington Saturday, the Western Washington Vikings claimed their third consecutive regular-season conference title.

The No. 1 team in the NCAA West Region and No. 14 in the NSCAA Division II poll earned the championship on senior night at Harrington Field.

The 1-point draw was all the team needed after beating Seattle Pacific on Thursday 1-0, which created a nine-point cushion for the Vikings with three games remaining.

With the win, WWU also clinched the No. 1 seed in the GNAC tournament next week. Seattle Pacific and Montana State Billings also clinched spots in the championship with wins on Saturday.

MSUB recorded two shutouts to break even with the Falcons after their loss to WWU on Thursday. SPU recorded a goal in each half in the team’s 2-1 win over Simon Fraser to clinch a championship spot.

Central Washington earned four points last week to extend its lead over Western Oregon to five points for the final playoff spot. The Wildcats need just one win or a WOU loss to make the championship.

The Wolves need to win their remaining two matches and hope for two losses or a loss and a tie from CWU to make the championship. WOU would hold the tie-breaker over the Wildcats if the two teams ended with the same record.

Even though WWU has clinched the No. 1 seed, the three others will most likely be decided by Saturday’s results.

SPU and MSUB have identical records so if the teams don’t break the tie in the last two matches, the Yellowjackets will claim the higher seed based on head-to-head records.

MSUB and SPU have one home and one away match remaining while Western Oregon will have to win both games on the road.

Other Notes:

• Western Washington snapped its 20-game home win streak on Saturday with a 0-0 tie against Central Washington.

• With two wins or a win and a tie, Western Oregon has a chance to secure its second winning season in a row after not recording one since 2002.
   
• Central Washington's Mackenzie Nolte won GNAC Offensive Player of the Week while Montana State Billings' Haley McFarlane won the conference's defensive award.
   
• The 2014 GNAC Championships will be held Nov. 6 & 8 at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash. Tickets can be purchased HERE.