Western Washington‘s faced-off against Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, WA kicking off the GNAC season. WWU left with all three points Thursday afternoon, edging Saint Martin’s 1-0 in a hard-fought Great Northwest Athletic Conference road match. It was clear no love was lost between these two programs fighting for a conference win.
For 84 minutes, neither side could find the breakthrough. Western controlled the run of play for long stretches, out-shooting the Saints 12-7 overall and 4-3 on target. Saints keeper and back line held firm most of the match keeping the score locked at 0-0 deep into the second half.
The deadlock finally broke in the 85th minute. A late foul inside the box gave WWU a crucial penalty. Junior midfielder Edgar Serrano stepped up and coolly slotted the spot kick home for the game’s only goal. Serrano has built a reputation as one of the more reliable set-piece takers in the program.
Saint Martin’s pushed numbers forward looking for an equalizer, but WWU keeper Quinn Sappington, came up with a key stop in stoppage time to preserve the clean sheet. The Saints picked up three second-half yellow cards as frustration mounted in the final push, while WWU’s back line and midfield did enough to secure the win.
Quick hits:
- Final: WWU 1, Saint Martin’s 0
- Goal: Edgar Serrano (PK), 85th minute
- Shots: WWU 12, SMU 7
- Shots on Goal: WWU 4, SMU 3
- Corners: WWU 4, SMU 0
A tight but valuable road result for the Vikings as they kicked off GNAC play, a moment that highlights WWU’s steady start.
