Men’s soccer
Record: 6-6-5 overall, 5-4-3 Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
Final Game: A 0-0 double-overtime tie against No. 15 Simon Fraser, the GNAC champions. The second-straight season Western played Simon Fraser to a tie in Burnaby.
Season Highlight: The Vikings set a school record of 11 GNAC All-Academics selections.
Grade: B-
The Vikings did not dominate like they did last season.
Overview: The Vikings had nine games that went into overtime, and set a school record for ties with five. Last season, Western (6-3-3, 5-1-1 GNAC) finished tied for second place, its best finish since 2009, and won its first ever NCAA tournament match. Although the Vikings didn’t play as well as last season, next year will be an opportunity to start fresh.
Women’s soccer
Record: 18-2-0 overall, 11-1-0 GNAC.
Final Game: The Vikings made it to NCAA Division II West Regional title game, where they lost to No. 1 seed UC San Diego, 2-0, in La Jolla, California.
Season Highlight: Getting revenge and winning the GNAC championship game over Concordia University, the team that snapped their 39-game win streak.
Grade: A-
The Vikings dominated the regular season this year, but couldn’t match the unbeaten national championship season from a year ago.
Overview: The Vikings made the NCAA championships for the sixth consecutive year, and surrendered only eight goals the entire season. Last year, the Vikings (24-0-1, 12-0-0 GNAC) won Western’s 10th team national championship upending three-time defending champion Grand Valley State, 3-2. This season, the Vikings fell short, but who knows what will be in store for next year.
Women’s volleyball
Record: 27-4 overall, 19-1 GNAC.
Final Game: The Vikings, ranked fifth in the nation, were upset in the NCAA Division II West Regional title game by California State University, San Bernardino.
Season Highlight: The Vikings had their 20-match winning streak snapped in their final game, which was third-longest win streak in school history.
Grade: A-
The Vikings improved their record since last season, but lost again at the NCAA II West Regional title game.
Overview: Junior outside hitter Abby Phelps won GNAC Player of the Year, while coach Diane Flick-Williams won Coach of the Year. Western led all GNAC teams with five all-conference selections. Last year the team was 23-8, and also made it to the West Regional title where they fell short. Next year could be the year the Vikings win the West Regional title and advance to the NCAA Division II Elite 8.
