Sports - Local Colleges

POSTED: Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009

MEN'S COLLEGE SOCCER: Connell gets 100th win as Vikings snap skid

Western Washington University's Travis Connell became the first men's coach in program history to win 100 games and Kellan Brown scored two goals as the Vikings blanked Seattle Pacific University, 4-0, in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's soccer game Thursday night at Interbay Stadium in Seattle.

Western, which was playing the sixth of eight straight road games, snapped a three-game losing streak as it improved to 6-11-0 overall and 3-3-0 in GNAC action.

Seattle Pacific, ranked No. 5 in the West Region, dropped to 10-5-3 overall and 3-3-1 in league play with its third straight loss. It was just the second home setback this season for the Falcons, now 5-2-2 at Interbay, who were blanked for the third time this fall.

"We really put together a good game," Connell said. "Once we got that first goal by Kellan (Brown), it inspired the rest of the team and everyone had a good effort today. To be honest, I think we caught them on a bad night, because they are a better team than they showed tonight. But our boys took full advantage. They smelled the blood in the water and went after it."

Brown scored just over six minutes into the contest on a shot from 23 yards into the left corner following a block of a shot by Brendan Quilici. In the 41st minute, Oscar Jimenez scored on a 40-yard blast that went off the goalkeeper's hands and dropped inside the left post to make the halftime score 2-0.

Brown, who leads the team with nine goals, scored again in the 57th minute. He was taken down in the box and awarded a penalty kick. The Seattle Pacific goalie dove to his left and made the save, but the ball was still loose and Brown ran up to it and knocked in the rebound.

Gibson Bardsley completed the scoring in the 67th minute on a breakaway that resulted in a 15-yard shot inside the right post, Darragh Simm being credited with the assist.

Western goalkeeper Cameron Copps-Tilley recorded his second shutout of the year by making four saves.

The Vikings had a 25-16 advantage in shots.

"It's really nice," said Connell of victory No.100 during his 11-year coaching career (100-98-11) at Western. "It does mean a lot, and because it came against a good opponent and since I do have history with that program, that does make it sweeter."

Connell was a three-year starter and four-year letter winner for the Seattle Pacific's men's soccer team, helping the Falcons to the 1993 NCAA Division II national championship. He played on four SPU teams that reached the national playoffs, being the team captain as a senior.

The win was just the sixth for the Vikings in 37 meetings (6-27-4) with Seattle Pacific.