Currently we are in the thick of our Spring season and with summer just a few short months away, we are very excited to embark on our Fall 2024 campaign. We’re proud of the hard work our team has put in throughout the Winter quarter, both on and off the field, and we are very excited to see it all come together in the Fall!
As we prepare for the upcoming season, we invite you to invest in the Vikings Men's Soccer program on WWU Give Day, April 25th, to help elevate the overall experience for our student-athletes both on and off the field. We had an incredible turnout for contributions last year for a total of $13,625, just shy of our goal of $15,000! This year, we are looking to raise the bar with our goal to raise $20,000!
Your contribution to that $20,000 will go towards...
GEAR PACKAGE (Training, Travel and Game Day) – Look good, feel good! We aim to provide our athletes with the proper gear to be successful in the wide range of weather we encounter. From preseason fitness tests and early season games in the heat of summer, to the short, dark days at Harrington Field in the winter quarter.
TEAM TRAVEL (To compete on a larger scale & maximize the student-athlete experience) - To be the best, you need to beat the best, so we believe in the importance of travel to compete against the top schools in our region. This Fall, we will be making one trip to Salt Lake City, UT to play Westminster University and Regis University. Additionally, we will take overnight trips to face our conference opponents on the road, including Northwest Nazarene in Nampa, ID, MSU Billings in Montana, and Western Oregon in Monmouth, OR. Our staff puts a lot of time and effort into arranging travel that will result in missing as little school as possible, without too much compromise. In most cases, that means arriving the day before the match and departing the morning after. We feel this gives our athletes a chance to properly prepare their minds and bodies for matchday and get adequate rest and recovery before flying, giving them the greatest chance at success on the field.
MEALS (On the road and at home) - Getting everyone together for a team meal during pre-season, conference play or post-season is an excellent way to build team chemistry and create lasting memories. Sometimes, these are the moments we think of more fondly than those created on the field. Whether it’s a pickup order of Chipotle prior to a road trip, protein shakes for post-game, or groceries to provide for our team to cook a meal together, we feel that providing the team substantial and proper nutrition can help our athletes gain an edge while giving them another chance to spend valuable time together as well.
EQUIPMENT (To update our training equipment to drive performance both individually and collectively) - We are very lucky to have one of the top facilities in the country available to us every day to train and compete on Game Day. With your help we can continue to supply high-performance field training equipment to elevate our training sessions and take steps towards reaching our collective goals on a consistent basis. We are also hoping to make updates to our locker room to make this a more comfortable space for our student-athletes and coaches. This comes in the form of new chairs, pictures, name plates on lockers, as well as miscellaneous items to personalize this space.
RECRUITING (Scout, identify and evaluate the top prospects) – In addition to watching local games from Bellingham to Seattle, ideally, we would like to attend as many relevant college showcase tournaments as possible. Most of these are out of state, such as Surf Cup (San Diego, CA), MLS Next events (Various locations), ECNL showcases (Las Vegas in 2023) and ECNL National Playoffs (San Diego in 2024). We think it’s important to evaluate potential recruits in person multiple times before making an offer and these events help us to accomplish that in the most efficient way possible. We are also able to cast a wider net and not only watch out of state players with interest in WWU but increase their exposure to our program as well. All with the goal of making sure we are finding the right fit for the next generations of WWU Vikings soccer.
Once again to our 2023 Senior Class and their families, we appreciate all your contributions to the program throughout your years at Western. Thank you, Brandon, Mitch, Theo, Elliott and Kyota! We wish you the very best in your next adventure!
Testimonials and Messages to Donors:
#8 Jacob Sundberg, Rocklin, CA (Senior): “We really appreciate your generous donations! Since joining the WWU Men’s Soccer team I have created so many amazing memories that I will remember for the rest of my life! With your donations our team will continue to be able to make these memories and compete at the highest level! Thank you!”
#21 Joar Tidblom, Norrkoping, Sweden (Junior): “My time in America and in this program has provided me the opportunity to have a new home and a second family. Your donations make so much of this possible for us, we are very grateful for all of your support. Thank you and go Viks!
#2 Lucas Hakamada, Bothell, WA (Senior): “The Western men's soccer program has given me an opportunity to compete at a very high level and surround myself with great a great group of guys as well. On behalf of our program, we greatly appreciate your donations in support of our goals.”
#5 Andrew Rotter, Auburn, WA (Senior): “Playing for WWU has been super nice, I enjoy playing the sport I love with my brothers. We would like to send a big thank you to all of our donors who participate in Give Day. We greatly appreciate your donations to our soccer program, as well as the support and belief in us. Go Viks!”
#7 Albin Jonsson, Skellefteå, Sweden (Junior): “I think Western is a great school that provides an opportunity for everyone to feel like they are home. Very Inclusive, even for international students like me. The men’s soccer team is a big reason I feel so at home. All the players are great people, and we all share the same ambitions when it comes to soccer. Your donations help us to focus on our performance on the field and in the classroom as student-athletes. Thank you!”
#11 Eric Bunnell, Renton, WA (Senior): “This program teaches us to always strive for excellence on and off the field thanks to the amazing coaching staff, facilities and team culture set by everyone who’s been involved with the program. Thank you, donors! We appreciate your gracious donations greatly! Go Viks!”
#13 Edgar “Cuauh” Serrano, Mount Vernon, WA (Sophomore): “WWU men's soccer thrives on passion, dedication, and teamwork. Thank you, donors, for your generous support—it's crucial to our success. Your contributions mean the world to us and drive us to achieve our goals. We're grateful for your belief in our team.”
Thank you, Viking Family, for your support!
Donating to our program will not only enhance the resources available to our team like gear, travel, recruiting, team meals and training equipment, but more importantly, your gift will provide opportunities for growth with each of our student-athletes not only as soccer players, but as people. Every gift helps! Each donation will go directly back to the student-athletes in one of the ways listed above. We truly appreciate your investment in these amazing young people.
We also invite you to support the team by attending games, as well as by sharing our VikingFunder on your social media outlets. The more our Viking Family can grow, the better!
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