• Boxscore & Play-by-Play

LACEY, Wash. – With four straight women's soccer road games on the docket, the Seattle Pacific Falcons figure they might as well enjoy it and get some results at the same time.
 
They did both on Thursday afternoon.
 
Brandi Hamre scored through traffic in the goalmouth through the 32nd minute, Riley Dopps added an insurance goal less than a minute into the second half as 12^th-ranked SPU downed Saint Martin's in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest, 2-0.
                                                                         
The Falcons (12-2-0, 9-1-0—27 points GNAC) have won their last 12 road games and maintained their grip on first place in the conference, having started the day six points ahead of second-place Montana State Billings.
 
“It definitely felt good. It's always good to start off a trip with a win,” said senior forward Mandy Verdoia (Salt Lake City), whose header toward the far post help set up Hamre's goal. “You're going in on unfamiliar turf, so it's nice to start off strong so you can carry that momentum through.”
 
Falcons coach Chuck Sekyra agreed.
 
I like us being on the road right now. I think it's a good time to be on the road and be together,” he said. “I like the fact that we get to play a game on grass, and we get to play on grass Saturday (at Western Oregon, 11 a.m.). Saturday is everything to me. It's the hump game of an eight-game season that we said we're on. That's game No. 4, and I think we have to get after it.”
                                                                                     
Senior goalkeeper Brooke Yokers (Kent, Wash./Kentridge HS) earned her third straight shutout for the Falcons. Yokers has allowed  just one goal in 393 minutes, 24 seconds between the posts this season. SPU has nine shutouts altogether.
 
“I was pleased with our our back line and how Brooke played,” Sekyra said. “Brooke's doing a good job back there – very commanding of her back line, great communicator, very strong in the net. She gives us a lot of confidence.”
 
Seattle Pacific dominated the game with a 30-4 advantage in shots, including 17-0 in the first half. But only senior forward Hamre (Bremerton, Wash./Central Kitsap HS) was able to put one into the net before halftime.
 
Senior defender Janie Wurth (La Mirada, Calif.) started the play with a cross from way over on the attacking right side. The ball floated into the left side of the penalty area, where Verdoia went up from 15 yards in front and sent it toward the right post. With several players right there, Hamre got a foot to it and stuck it into the back right corner at 31:24.
 
That was Hamre's third goal of the season and the 19th of her career
 
Freshman midfielder Dopps (Port Orchard, Wash./South Kitsap HS) doubled the lead to 2-0 just 52 seconds into the second half. Junior forward Megan Lindsay (Spokane, Wash./Gonzaga Prep HS), playing near the goal line, sent a cross from the left corner toward the near post. Dopps was playing in the 6-yard box and lofted a shot way into the upper left corner for her third career goal.
 
Lindsay, the reigning GNAC Player of the Week, now has contributed at least one goal or one assist in five straight games and eight of the last nine. She has eight goals and five assists for the season.
 
Verdoia also is looking forward to getting back into action on Saturday at Western Oregon.
 
“It really feels good to come out strong because it gives us confidence to play away again,” she said. “We know where we stand at this point because there's a lot of confidence in our team.”
 
The Saints (3-9-2, 3-7-0—9 points GNAC) had a two-game winning streak snapped. 
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Saint Martin's University / Lacey, Wash.
 
(No. 12) Seattle Pacific 2, Saint Martin's 0
 
Scoring – 1, SPU: Brandi Hamre (Mandy Verdoia, Janie Wurth), 31:24; 2, SPU: Riley Dopps (Megan Lindsay), 45:52.
 
Shots – SPU 30, StM 4.
Saves – SPU (Brooke Yokers) 1, StM (Ashley Engel 5, Gina Cardenas 6) 11.
Corner kicks – SPU 5, StM 2.
Fouls – SPU 7, StM 7.
Offsides – SPU 4, StM 0.
Cautions – None.
Ejections – None.
Attendance – 73.
 
Records – Seattle Pacific 12-2-0, 9-1-0 GNAC.
                 Saint Martin's 3-9-2, 3-7-0 GNAC.
 
Next game – Seattle Pacific at Western Oregon, Saturday, 11:00 a.m.