ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Wildcats lost their final game of the regular season to #7-ranked Western Washington University (12-1-1). The Viking offense was too much for the Wildcats to handle as Western won 3-0. Last time these two rivals faced off was over a month ago, when the 'Cats went into the Vikings' home territory and left with a tie for a hard-earned one point on the season total. With the loss, the 'Cats finish conference play with a record of 6-6-2, good enough for them to earn a bid to the 2026 GNAC Tournament. Before the match, the Wildcats came together to celebrate
Lainee Derry,
Danika Galbraith,
Bella Green,
Cam Sheets,
Kendal Smith, and
Tatum Zuber to honor the graduating seniors who have left their mark as Wildcats.
QUOTING HEAD SOCCER COACH JOHN HAWKS:
"Winning is hard, and championship caliber ball requires a full 90! Proud of our group's overall commitment to compete. That said, we will look to learn and refine from where we got it wrong today and use it as data received for next week. We qualified for the GNAC Championship for a reason, and I look forward to seeing this group respond next Thursday. Our future is as bright as it has ever been, and we welcome the opportunity that is postseason play … Go 'Cats!
FIRST HALF:
The 'Cats had no answer to stop the Vikings from getting shots up in the first half. The Vikings took 12 shot attempts in the first half alone but only managed to score once off the boot of Madeline Mays. On the Wildcats' side, they were able to get five shot attempts up but couldn't land any to match their rivals in the first half. Senior Goalie
Danika Galbraith did all she could in the first half as she had eight saves alone in the first half before being subbed out at halftime for
Leighton Menge. When the two squads played last, it was a 0-0 defensive match. With the Wildcats trailing at halftime, they knew they were going to have to find a way to score to take their zero off the scoreboard.
SECOND HALF:
The Wildcats' defense gave up two goals in the second half despite limiting the Vikings to fewer shot attempts. Western got off five shots in the half but had two reach the back of the net from Keira Reeves in the 58th and 80th minutes. The 'Cats got four attempts at a goal in the second half, but the rival Western Washington Vikings were not going to make it that easy for the 'Cats to come back. With their two second-half goals, they pushed the lead to 3-0 to earn them the title of 2026 GNAC Regular Season Champions. The Wildcats finished the conference regular season with a record of 6-6-2, which is good enough for them to earn the four seed in the GNAC.
UP NEXT:
With the GNAC Tournament starting up on Nov. 5th, the Wildcats are set to make their first appearance in the tournament since 2019. The 'Cats will be going into the match, likely playing Western Washington once again for a rivalry tournament match in Seattle.
