By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

Photography by: Eddie Bruning.

PORTLAND, Ore. – College soccer in October is the antithesis of nature: As temperatures outside plummet, competition on the field becomes red-hot.
 
This is when seasons are made or broken, when titles are won and when playoff hopes crumble. Many teams face the simple fact that each game carries ‘must-win’ weight. Those were the stakes for the Western Oregon women’s soccer team last week, and with their backs against the wall they rallied to collect a pair of wins to keep their GNAC Championships tournament hopes alive.
 
Western Oregon emerged the victor 3-2 in a back-and-forth battle against Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, before topping Central Washington 3-1 on Saturday. The six points against two teams currently above them in the standings earned WOU the Athletic Solutions GNAC Team of the Week award. “This group dug in and worked for each other to keep the belief and goal of postseason play alive,” said first-year WOU head coach Nate Ulness. “We've got another tough week ahead of us as there's no easy GNAC match, and having to do it on the road will be a true test.”
 
Western Oregon (4-8-4) enters the week in sixth place in the conference standings with 12 points on a 3-6-3 league record. The Wolves find themselves looking up at fifth-place Northwest Nazarene (14 points) and fourth-place Central Washington (17 points), with the top-four teams at the end of the regular season earning spots in the conference tournament. The Wolves are coming off their first-ever NCAA Championships appearance last fall and are on the hunt for their fourth-consecutive GNAC Championships tournament berth.
 
WOU’s season-saving week got off to a hot start against the Nighthawks, with Olivia Boger scoring in the eighth and 33rd minutes to spot her team to a 2-0 advantage. Grace Townsend added a third goal 10 minutes after halftime, and WOU withstood an NNU rally that saw two goals scored over the final 45 minutes of action. “We came out with the energy and belief in what we do, but we drifted a bit in the second half,” said Ulness. “Our back line buckled down and kept track of a mobile NNU team that has a very creative rotation of movement on the attack.”
 
The formula was similar in Saturday’s win over the Wildcats, as the Wolves received an early goal this time from GNAC Player of the Week Kyra DiBenedetto in the seventh minute. Leiloa Fesolai doubled the advantage five minutes before halftime and DiBenedetto put the game out of reach converting a 54th-minute penalty kick. Kate Seibert contributed a pair of assists including one on Fesolai’s game-winner. “The atmosphere for the Wolves faithful and our team giving everything they had for our three seniors on their final home night under the lights was awesome,” Ulness said. “It truly was a special evening celebrating three incredible student-athletes. Our group was clinical in what we are good at and played with freedom, creativity and an attitude to get the job done.”
 
In her second year with the Wolves, DiBenedetto has delivered a pair of multi-goal games this fall and five goals total while starting 16 matches. “Kyra was lights-out last week,” said Ulness. “She made dangerous runs in both games and opened so much up for us in the front lines to get in behind. She made the most of her chances on Saturday and finished the penalty that she drew which is a hard thing to do. She truly put out a performance you love to see from a senior player on her final weekend at home and you could see the passion she did it with. She has been so consistent in who she is this year for us. She is someone we know is always going to give us everything she has and does it all unselfishly for her teammates and the program. She's an inspiration and someone you wish you had 11 others of and has been such a joy to coach and the type of leader you love to inherit as a new coach.”
 
For a team that has struggled to find the back of the net at times this season – WOU had just nine goals in 14 matches and only one match with multiple goals before last week – an offensive outburst came at the right time. The Wolves had been shut out in each of their previous three games and were enduring a seven-match winless streak before the back-to-back hot starts in last week’s matches.
 
WOU is at Saint Martin’s (2-13-2, 1-10-1 GNAC) on Thursday at 3 p.m. Pacific and closes the regular season at Montana State Billings (2-9-5, 2-8-2) on Saturday at 11 a.m. Mountain. The same challenge lies ahead for Ulness’s crew this week – they have to take all six points and have other results go in their favor to earn a spot in the upcoming GNAC Championships. It’s another tall task for a team that proved its mettle under pressure last time out.
 
“The focus will remain on us and doing what we do best and not drifting from that,” Ulness said. “We are going to keep our belief and our competitiveness, and working to close games out as strongly as we've started the last couple. This group is confident right now and we can't wait to watch them compete two more times this week.”
 
GNAC Team of the Week presented by Athletic Solutions
Athletic Solutions became a GNAC partner in 2025 and is the official sponsor of the GNAC Team of the Week award. Athletic Solutions is a national leader in NIL fan engagement and e-commerce technology, collaborating with colleges and universities to bring NIL Locker Rooms to life. Its platform simplifies NIL opportunities, providing student-athletes with the tools and exposure needed to thrive in the evolving landscape of college athletics.