BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University soccer programs will each close out their respective preseason schedules with home exhibition games at Harrington Field this weekend as WWU women’s soccer hosts Victoria on Friday at 6 pm before WWU men’s soccer faces Puget Sound on Saturday at 7 pm.
Free admission will be offered for the games as both WWU soccer programs make their home preseason debuts. Both games will feature free schedule magnet giveaways and free parking will be available in the C lots next to Harrington Field.
WWU women’s soccer opened the preseason with a 3-2 win at British Columbia on Aug. 16 before the second scheduled exhibition on Aug. 21 at Trinity Western was cancelled due to poor air quality. The Vikings are scheduled to begin the regular season next week, traveling to face Point Loma (Aug. 30, 4:30 pm) and No. 5 UC San Diego (Sept. 1, 3:30 pm) in California.
The WWU women enter the season ranked No. 7 nationally and were selected as the top team in the annual Great Northwest Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The Vikings went 18-2 last season and advanced to the NCAA II West Region championship for the fifth time in the last six seasons. WWU returns 9 starters as part of 19 total letterwinners returning from last year and is a season removed from winning the 2016 NCAA II National Championship.
WWU men’s soccer opened the preseason on Aug. 18 with a 3-2 loss at British Columbia and will play its second scheduled exhibition of the preseason against Puget Sound this Saturday. The WWU men travel to California next week to begin the regular season with games at Sonoma State (Aug. 30, 5 pm) and at Chico State (Sept. 1, 7 pm).
The WWU men were predicted to place 4th in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll after finishing 6-6-5 overall last year and placing in a tie for 3rd in the GNAC standings. The Vikings return 15 letterwinners and 5 players who made 10 or more starts during the 2017 season. WWU is a year removed from advancing to the second round of the NCAA II Tournament in 2016.
