BELLINGHAM, Wash. – In a rematch of the 2019 NCAA West Regional Championship Match and battle of nationally-ranked opponents, Point Loma earned a draw against Western Washington, 1-1, at Harrington Field in a defensive battle after two early goals on Monday night.

The two teams traded goals in the first 21 minutes of the match, but despite opportunities for both teams in the remaining 89 minutes, both goalkeepers made impressive saves to preserve the tie.

"It was a fun game. It's fun to play those that are at the top and compete," head coach Kristi Kiely said. "We are disappointed to not capitalize on a few opportunities, but also they also had plenty. It felt like an even competitive match."

Point Loma scored the first goal of the game in the 18^th minute. A throw-in got the ball into the box, and when the Vikings attempted to clear the ball out Makenna Herrera blocked it and took possession when she got fouled resulting in a penalty kick. It was the second penalty kick of the match after the Vikings had earned one in the seventh minute that was saved by Emma Hinson.

Emma Thrapp took the penalty kick and shot with her right foot into the upper-left corner of the net. The goalkeeper guessed wrong and Thrapp's shot hit the back of the net for the first goal of the match. The freshman defender has now scored in two consecutive matches for the Sea Lions.

"Makenna did well to go for it in the box and draw the foul," Kiely said. "Thrapp did a good job again to seal it off for us just like she did on Saturday against Central Washington."

The lead didn't last long, however, as the Vikings scored in the 21^st minute on a set-piece. Makenzie Burks took a free kick from just inside the right sideline and sent a low cross in front of the goal. With both teams running from the top of the 18-yard box toward the ball crossed in front of the mouth of the goal, it was Sophie Butterfield who bumped the ball toward the back post for the Vikings' only goal of the game.

Both teams created scoring chances in the two overtime periods with one chance for each team in the second overtime standing out above the rest. Western Washington had its opportunity first with a corner kick going short in the box and was headed back toward the other post. Jenna Killman settled it there and shot, but Emma Hinson was right there to make her third save of the match.

"Emma does well here. She did well a couple of years ago and did well again tonight," Kiely said. "She saved the penalty kick and would be the first to say backline in front of her did a tremendous job working as a unit to limit opportunities."

Point Loma's best chance in overtime came with only a minute and a half left in the match. Herrera received a high-bouncing pass at the top of the 18-yard box and tried to settle it with her head. The Vikings defender whiffed on her attempt to clear out the ball, and Herrera regained possession with nobody to beat, but the goalkeeper. After one dribble by Herrera, Natalie Dierickx denied her any chance to take a shot, running out of the net and jumping on the ball to preserve the tie.

"I thought we got in really good positions all game," Kiely added. "It was fun to see. It didn't matter who was on the field. That has been fun in this trip. We've had a lot of people contributing and it allows you to compete a certain way. Everyone who steps in that front line kept us moving in the right direction. They were tremendous for us tonight. Even though we didn't score, we were creating chances. This early on that's fine as long as we are getting near goal."

Following the tie, Point Loma is now 3-0-1 on the season heading into Saturday's conference opener against Fresno Pacific. Western Washington is now 3-0-2 after completing one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the West Region. The match served for both teams, not only as an indication of where they stand going into their respective conference seasons but also as evidence to the NCAA selection committee, that they are still two of the toughest teams in the West Region.

"Getting on the road was really important and playing quality opponents," Kiely said, shifting her focus to the upcoming conference season. "We are really grateful for this trip and Western was a great host. We feel good going into conference play, because we have faced some really good opponents."

Point Loma will play at Fresno Pacific on Saturday with a 5 p.m. kickoff at Ramirez Field. The Sunbirds are still looking for their first win of the season, but they have a 24-12-4 record in PacWest matches since the start of the 2017 season. The next home match for the Sea Lions is on October 2 against Academy of Art.