LANGLEY, B.C. – Trinity Western fell 4-0 to visiting Western Washington in a preseason contest Tuesday at Chase Office Field.

Playing in their first home game since returning from a five-match tour in England, the Spartans were bettered on their home pitch, with the Vikings scoring three in the first half before adding to their lead with an early tally in the second half.

After an evenly played opening half hour, the Vikings exploded for three goals in the span of three minutes, with WWU's Jenna Killman getting on the board first in the 33rd minute, Karli White adding a second in the 34th minute and Grace Eversaul scoring in the 36th minute.

White scored her second of the game in the 47th minute to round out the scoring.

TWU goalie Hannah Miller (Langley) made three saves on the night, while Claire Henninger stopped both shots she faced in 72 minutes of play before being replaced by Erin Smith.

The Spartans return to the pitch Saturday when they host Concordia University at 1 p.m. in TWU's final game of its preseason schedule.

The two-time defending Canada West champion Spartans opens their Canada West regular season schedule Sept. 6-7 with home games against UBC and Victoria.

QUOTABLE
TWU Coach Graham Roxburgh
"I didn't think we created many good chances, but I thought we possessed the ball well early on. I'm disappointed for my team because I thought we worked really hard and did some positive things early. We said to the team at halftime that if you make a mistake, you're going to get punished. But there are some positives. It's not all doom and gloom. I thought Western Washington's finishes were clinical and they thoroughly deserved to win. I thought they had a little bit more bite and hunger, but I was really pleased with how some of our players responded.

"I thought Maddie Melnychuk (Langley) was superb early on. I thought Jenaya Robertson's (Delta, B.C.) mobility and desire to hunt was very impressive. I thought Grace Van den Brink (Chilliwack, B.C.) was very lively and her work rate was strong. Our back four were very good and I thought Brooklyn Tidder (White Rock, B.C.) and Liz Hicks (Surrey) defended well. Lots of positives but I think everyone is going to have to realize to have success, you have to show up for 90 minutes."

NOTABLE
•    TWU was 2-0-3 in its five games in England, including wins against Liverpool FC U21 and West Bromwich Albion.
•    The last time TWU and WWU met in a preseason contest was in 2017 when TWU won 3-1 at home.
•    The last time TWU played at home was when the Spartans captured their second straight Canada West championship with a 1-0 win over Calgary.

About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 11 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes in the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) in men's hockey and as an independent team in men's rugby. The men's and women's hockey programs will begin playing in Canada West and U SPORTS in 2020-21. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 12 U SPORTS team championships and 27 Canada West team championships and two BCIHL championships.

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