BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- The Central Washington University women's soccer team fell to No. 10 Western Washington University, 6-0.
The Vikings (6-0-2, 3-0-0) scored four goals in the second stanza after the Wildcats (1-6-0, 0-3-0) held them to two goals in the first.Â
Central's only shot of the opening 45 minutes came from Sydney Lowe in the 13th minute. She was denied by Natalie Dierickx. They managed just two additional shots in the back end from Makinzie Packwood and Grace Jackson, neither on frame. Western totaled 37 shots, 19 of which were on goal.
A red card 20 minutes into the second half forced the Crimson and Black to play short-handed for the second time this season.
Liz Canton made her second start of the season and compiled 13 saves, the most saves in a single game since CWU keepers notched 10 saves against Seattle Pacific in the spring. The last time a CWU keeper was called on for 13 saves was September 28, 2017 and also against Western Washington. Emily Holt made 13 stops in Central's 2-0 loss to the then-ranked No. 1 Vikings on 29 shots. The Vikings' 37 shots are the most Central keepers have faced since October 3, 2019, when Emily Thomson faced 32 shots at Western Washington.
Western dominated possession, controlling 72 percent of the game. The Vikings spent 45 percent of their possession time inside the attacking third. Central, meanwhile, struggled to break into the attacking third, spending 59 percent of their possession in the neutral third. They also spent 69 percent of their possession in their own half, while Western 73 percent of their time with the ball in the Wildcats' half.
The Wildcats conceded 13 corners and did not receive a corner on the attacking end.
Canton's first five saves came in the first half. She faced 16 shots in the opening half. Her first test came in the 11th minute when she turned aside a low shot from Dayana Diaz. Another low shot in the 20th minute was handled easily by the Wildcats' keeper but marked a cannonade of attempts at goal from the Vikings.. In the span of nine minutes from the 20th to the 29th, Canton made four of her five stops.
"We came out strong in the first half and were able to stay together defensively," Assistant Coach Emmy Koflanovich said. "In the second half, Western kept coming at us and didn't give up until the very end. They have great grit and determination. Tough loss, but we need to have a short memory and move on to Simon Fraser on Saturday."
It is only the second time this season the WIldcats have been kept off the scoreboard.
Central Washington heads north of the border for their next Great Northwest Athletic Conference match. They take on Simon Fraser University on Saturday, October 2. Kick-off is scheduled for noon at Terry Fox Field in Burnaby.
