NAMPA, Idaho – Simon Fraser saw its season come to an end after a pair of freshmen led Western Washington to a 3-0 win over the Red Leafs in the semifinal of the 2022 GNAC Women's Soccer Championships, hosted by Northwest Nazarene.

It was the second straight semifinal loss for the Red Leafs at the GNAC Championship after losing in 2021 to top seed Seattle Pacific. SFU finishes the 2022 season with a 5-7-7 overall record.
 

The Vikings, ranked No. 10 nationally by the United Soccer Coaches, scored twice in the first half and added another in the second half for the win. The Vikings are the No. 1 seed for the GNAC Championships and ranked No. 3 in the West Region.

The Vikings were the dominant team in the midfield, forcing the majority of the Red Leafs chances to come from outside. Western Washington held the narrow edge in shots through the first half with as 8-6 advantage with both sides putting three on frame.
 

The first goal of the match came from Morgan Manalili, who corralled a rebound off SFU goalkeeper Nicole Anderson after a diving save, for the game's first goal. Fellow Vikings freshman Minji Rauch netted the second goal of the match off a cross from Estera Levinte to put WWU up 2-0 heading into halftime. 

Western Washington tightened up the defense even further in the second half, holding the Red Leafs to just one shot while the offense surged and fired 14 of its own. The Red Leafs created opportunities in the corners but didn't mount a serious threat through the second frame. The Vikings limited Simon Fraser to nine shots. The Vikings added an insurance goal in the 84th minute off a corner kick when Chloe Unflat scored her first goal of the season on a header from Manalili's kick. 
 

Isabella Muzzolini led the way for Simon Fraser's offense, firing two shots in the first half and driving the attacking play through the midfield. She finished the match with three shots, one on goal. On the defensive side, Anderson finished the match with eight saves in net.
 

Western Washington will face the winner of the second semifinal match between Northwest Nazarene and Seattle Pacific on Saturday in Nampa.

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