Box score, play-by-play

SEATTLE – Senior Andy Wolverton struck the ball perfectly when it mattered most.

Wolverton fired a shot across his body and into the back right corner with 6:51 left in regulation time Monday, lifting Seattle Pacific to a 2-2 tie with Western Washington at Interbay Stadium in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's soccer opener for both teams.



“I saw it coming down at the back post and I yelled at Caleb (Nyone) to get out of the way. I just stroked it with my laces right past the keeper,” Wolverton described. “I've been working on that shot. Guys were joking with me in practice because I keep missing, but I connected there and that's all that matters is it was in a game.”

The goal for midfielder Wolverton (Portland, Ore.) was his first of the season.

“Our captain came up big tonight. What a great finish from Andy,” said SPU coach Mark Collings. “We had a couple more chances and they had some chances, back and forth. It was a great match between Western and ourselves.”

The tie halted a four-game losing streak for the Falcons (0-4-2, 0-0-1 GNAC). Western Washington (3-1-2, 0-0-1 GNAC) had a three-game winning streak snapped, but is still unbeaten in its last four.

The Falcons got onto the board first when junior Elliot Morton (Tacoma, Wash./Bellarmine Prep), who started at forward rather than his usual defender position, tucked home a rebound from point-blank range at 16:04.

A clearance pass by WWU goalkeeper Christian Warman was intercepted by SPU's Tyler Schultz (Scottsdale, Ariz.). Schultz went back down the right-wing side, dribbled into the right side of the penalty area and fired a shot toward the near post. Warman got an arm on it, but was unable to corral the rebound in the goalmouth, leaving it right on Morton's foot for the score.

Western tied it at the 30:41 mark. Jin Dangvan took a free kick 30 yards up from the goal line on the left side. The ball was driven in front of the SPU goal, where Cristian Geday knocked it in through a traffic jam.

Then the Vikings claimed the lead when Gibson Bardsley, with a Falcon defender tight behind him and another close by, found just enough of an opening to send a shot into the back left corner just 81 seconds after halftime. That was his sixth goal of the season.

With the Falcons down 2-1 and time winding down, Wolverton got his right foot on a loose ball in the penalty area, and, from about 10 yards away at a left angle, sent it into the far right corner at 83:09.



While the Falcons weren't content with the result, a tie was a fitting outcome Monday as both teams attempted 20 shots and each had four corner kicks in an evenly played contest.

“We're happy to get the equalizer and come back with a few minutes left, but overall we still didn't get our first victory,” Wolverton said.

Coach Collings concurred.

“A draw is a draw an not the win we are looking for. Nonetheless it's a start and definitely something to build on for us tonight.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Zach Johnson (Snohomish, Wash./Snohomish HS), who recorded five saves, kept SPU in it with 3:50 left in the first of two 10-minute sudden-death overtime periods. He made a diving save of a Kellan Brown header at the left post.

Johnson came through again with 6:35 left in the second extra session with a save at the right post on a shot by Oscar Jimenez.

Warman stopped seven shots for Western.

The Falcons had a golden scoring opportunity early in the 37th minute when freshman forward Blaine Carver (Soldotna, Alaska) went down the left side and sent the ball through to Morton, who crossed it into the 6-yard box where junior forward Danny Brill (Kent, Wash./Kentwood HS) was waiting, but was unable to get his toe to the ball.

The SPU men play their first GNAC road game on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Saint Martin's.


NCAA MEN'S SOCCER
Monday, September 20, 2010
Interbay Stadium/Seattle, Wash.

Seattle Pacific 2, Western Washington 2 (2ot)

Scoring -- 1, SPU: Elliot Morton (Tyler Schultz), 16:04; 2, WWU: Cristian Geday (Jin Dangvan), 30:40; 3, WWU: Gibson Bardsley (Darragh Simm), 46:21; 4, SPU: Andy Wolverton (unassisted), 83:09.

Shots – SPU 20, WWU 20.
Saves – SPU 5 (Zach Johnson), WWU 7 (Christian Warman).
Corner kicks – SPU 4, WWU 4.
Fouls – SPU 8, WWU 10.
Offsides – SPU 1, WWU 4.
Attendance – 350.

Records –
Seattle Pacific 0-4-2, 0-0-1 GNAC
Western Washington 3-1-2, 0-0-1 GNAC

Next game –
Seattle Pacific at Saint Martin's
Saturday, Sept. 25, 1 p.m.