BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Coming off of their impressive win against the Broncos of Cal Poly Pomona, the Golden Eagles traveled to the Pacific Northwest to take on nationally-ranked Western Washington University. The Vikings are currently sitting in the No. 10 spot on the NCAA DII rankings and second on their conference preseason poll. A win or draw at Tuesday night's match would be crucial for the Green and Gold, pitting themselves against a strong side with national tournament experience.

The first half started with a quick goal from the Vikings after freshman Riley Uruquiza stepped to cover the near post, but the ball took an awkward bounce away from her to the feet of a Viking striker. That proved to be the only successful attack of the half, with WWU leading 1-0 heading into the break.

CUI found better footing in the Vikings defensive third, connecting better offensively throughout the second half. The Golden Eagles outshot the home team 11 to 9 overall, with eight shots coming in the second half.

It was proving to be an exceedingly physical game, with multiple Golden Eagles needing time for a trainer and time to catch their breath before getting back into the game. 

In the second half, Mya Stice helped apply some offensive pressure, creating space for herself and firing a shot towards the upper left corner, but WWU's keeper covered it well, forcing a corner for CUI. With under fifteen minutes remaining in the match, Layla Comeaux attacked the swung-in corner kick, connecting with the floated cross and drawing the game level at 1-1. Comeaux scored her first goal of the season and Olivia Ocampo tallied her first assist.

It was an awe-inspiring performance from the Golden Eagles, collecting a draw against a Top-10 nationally-ranked team early into the season. Riley Walkington, Sophia Munoz, Jadenn Carrillo, and Stice helped spark the offensive turnaround, collecting two shots each.

Freshman Goalkeeper Urquiza earned her first start in goal and made four saves to secure the tie for CUI.

They play again in Bellingham later this week, Thursday, Sept. 1, against Simon Fraser at 12:00 pm.