By Morgan Annable
On December 3 most Western students were hunkered down studying for finals. Not the women’s soccer team. This group of Vikings was over 1,900 miles away playing their hearts out in the Division II National Championship. After 90 minutes of play, the team’s efforts earned them the national title, a first for Western.
Now, the women’s soccer team is being honored in a celebration on January 23 from 3:30 – 5 p.m. at the Wade King Recreation Center and the Viking Union.
This ceremony is free and open to the public. Western students are invited to join the team (and their national championship trophy) in a procession from the rec center to the Multipurpose Room (MPR), where alumni, faculty, staff, parents and fans will be gathered to welcome the members of the procession.
Once in the MPR, the team and their supporters will mingle at a reception where food will be provided.
To guarantee that enough refreshments are provided, register for free online at the Western Alumni website. Everyone who registers for the event will be entered into a drawing to win 2017 women’s soccer season tickets and an autographed soccer ball from the 2016 National Championships.
Western’s president, Sabah Randhawa, is slated to be in attendance at the celebration, as well as various local and statewide dignitaries.
Travis Connell, head coach of the women’s soccer team, said that he is excited to share this moment with the people who have shown support for the program.
The Vikings earned the trophy with a 3-2 win over Grand Valley State of Allendale, Michigan. Senior midfielder Caitlyn Jobanek scored two of the goals for the Vikings, one in the 18th minute of the game and the other in the 37th minute. Each of those goals was followed up by a point by the Grand Valley State Lakers, tying the score. The final goal of the game was made by the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, junior midfielder Emily Webster, in the 76th minute of play.
This season was full of broken records for the team. Not only are they the first Western women’s soccer team to take home the national championship, they also broke the all-time GNAC record for longest winning streak (24 games in a row) and the GNAC record for most wins in a single season. Those records were both previously held by the 2007 Seattle Pacific team.
Join the team on January 23 to celebrate this remarkable season.