BELLINGHAM, WA. – (WWUVikings.com) Continuing the longest post-season run in program history, Western Washington University is headed to the Final Four where it will meet defending national champion University of West Florida (Pensacola) in a semifinal game of the 2013 NCAA Division II National Women’s Soccer Championships on Thursday, Dec. 5 (11 a.m. PT), at Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, Georgia.

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The event host is the Peach Belt Conference.

Competing in the other semifinal contest on Thursday (8 a.m. PT) are Grand Valley State University (Allendale, Mich.) and American International College (Springfield, Mass.) with the winners advancing to the championship contest on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 9 a.m. PT.

The Vikings, 20-1-1 and ranked No.9 nationally in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/NCAA II Top 25, advanced by defeating No.10 St. Edward’s TX, 2-0, in a national quarterfinal game Sunday, Nov. 24, to finish 12-0-0 at home.

Social media tracks the Vikings’ flight to the Final Four:

Earlier they blanked Seattle Pacific, 2-0 in a second-round regional contest and won their first West Regional championship with a 1-0 win over Cal State San Bernardino.

No.3-ranked West Florida, 17-0-3 and the Gulf Coast Conference and South Region champion, is making its second straight trip to the Final Four and the fourth in six seasons. The Argonauts won their national quarterfinal game with a 3-2 win over No.21 Wingate. They took the regional title by defeating No.15 Rollins, 1-0. UWF is working on a 33-game unbeaten streak and a winning string of 14.

WWU got a regional berth after winning a second consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season title (13-1-0) and reaching the championship contest at the GNAC Tournament, losing in a penalty kick shootout with Seattle Pacific. The Vikings opened their season with 12 wins and were ranked No.2 nationally for four straight weeks before losing 1-0 on Oct. 19 at Monmouth, Ore.

Earlier this week, four Vikings were named first-team Daktronics West Region all-stars and three received CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-America honors.

Earning first-team Daktronics accolades for the second straight year was forward Kristin Maris (Sr., Issaquah). Also on the first team for WWU were forward Catherine Miles (So., Anacortes) and defender Brianna Jones (Jr., Bonney Lake). Midfielder Kim Cooper (Jr., Bellingham) was a second-team choice.

Maris was a second-team Academic All-American, and Miles and midfielder Ashton Griffen (Sr., Duvall/Cedarcrest) were third-team picks.

Pacing WWU’s offense is Maris, the 2013 GNAC Player of the Year, and Miles. Maris was the only unanimous pick on the GNAC all-star team, being a first-team selection for the second straight year. This season, she has 10 goals, including three game-winning goals, and eight assists. Maris is tied for ninth among WWU career leaders in goals with 27 and is tied for sixth in assists with 19.

Miles, who earned GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors three times this season and was the 2012 GNAC Freshman of the Year, ranks No.15 nationally and tops the conference in goals with 15, five of them game winners. She already ranks 11th among school career leaders in goals with 24.



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Cooper is another WWU first-team GNAC all-star, and Griffen leads the GNAC and ranks seventh nationally with 11 assists, one short of the WWU season record.

The Vikings, who have not allowed a goal in their first three post-season playoff games, have a 52-8 goal advantage with 14 shutouts and a goals against average of 0.40, which ranks ninth nationally.

Leading the defense for WWU are junior Brianna Jones (Bonney Lake), this year’s GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and senior Brina Sych (Vancouver/Union), the 2012 GNAC Defender of the Year.

Goalkeeper Alyssa Beauchamp (Sr., Vancouver/Mountain View) leads the GNAC and ranks No.9 nationally in GAA at 0.40 and is second in shutouts (10/4).

WWU ranks No.6 nationally in GAA (0.36), No.8 in assists (2.45), No.11 in shutout percentage (.636), No.13 in save percentage (.869) and No.20 in scoring offense (2.55).

WWU is coached by Travis Connell (11th year, 141-60-20), who was named GNAC Coach of the Year for the third time. He played at Seattle Pacific and started on a Falcons’ 1993 NCAA II national championship men’s soccer team, scoring the tying goal with 65 seconds left in a 6-5 national semifinal win over Florida Tech.

WWU has not played American International, Grand Valley State or West Florida previously.

West Florida is led by Chelsea Palmer, the 2013 Gulf Coast Conference Player of the Year and 2012 NSCAA National Player of the Year, with 12 goals, five of them game winners, and 14 assists; and 2012 first-team NSCAA All-American goalkeeper Sarah Story, who has a 0.54 GAA and a .839 save percentage .

Two other 2012 All-Americans back for coach Joe Bartlinski (13th year, 220-27-27; 25th overall, 415-57-21) are Taylor Harbison and Shelby Bush.

Grand Valley State is the nation’s No.1-ranked team and is unbeaten at 22-0-1. The Lakers won both the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular and post-season crowns and the Midwest Regional championship. They have outscored their opponents, 82-3, and recorded 20 shutouts.

Leading the defense for coach Dave Dilanni (11th year, 219-18-18) is Kayla Kimble, the Daktronics Midwest Region Player of the Year and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Defender of the Year. Goalkeeper Abbey Miller has a national-best 0.14 GAA.

Forward Jenny Shaba, the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year, has 14 goals and 12 assists.

American International, the East Region champion, is ranked No.13 nationally and has an 18-2-2 record. The Yellowjackets, coached by Matt Johnson (8th year, 76-69-11), have allowed just six goals and scored 57, while posting 16 shutouts. Sonia Basma, who has 19 goals and 11 assists, is the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year. Alie Fitzsimmons (8 assists) was the league’s Defender of the Year for the second straight time.

NOTES: This is the Vikings’ second straight NCAA II post-season appearance and fifth overall (1998, 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2013) … WWU’s 20 wins breaks the school record of 19 set last year … Beside her Academic All-America honors, Maris also was a District 8 academic all-star for the second time and a GNAC academic all-star for the third time, and Griffen and Miles received District 8 and GNAC academic honors … The Vikings finished 19-4-0 in 2012 and won both the GNAC regular-season and tournament championships … Griffen earned GNAC Defensive POW honors for her effort in a 1-0 win at No.3 UC San Diego … Miles received her first GNAC Offensive POW award of the season with two goals and an assist in WWU’s road wins against Northwest Nazarene and Montana State Billings. Her second honor came after scoring three goals in 23 minutes versus Northwest Nazarene … Sych was the GNAC Defensive POW for Sept. 29- Oct. 5. … WWU was the GNAC co-Team of the Week for Nov. 17-23.