• Boxscore & Play-by-Play

TUKWILA, Wash. – Sophomore Jessie Mancilla netted her first collegiate goal in the 66th minute Thursday, lifting third-seeded Montana State Billings to a 1-0 victory over No. 2 seed Seattle Pacific in the semifinal round of the inaugural Great Northwest Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Tournament at Starfire Stadium.
 
The Yellowjackets (13-5-1) advance to a championship-game meeting against top seed Western Washington on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Vikings (16-3-0) were 2-0 victors over Western Oregon in the other semifinal contest.
 
Jaucelyn Richter initiated the scoring play with a hard shot from the left side of the box that caromed off the right post. Mancilla raced to the ball and quickly deposited a seven-yard shot into the right side of the goal at 65:36.
 
 “Give them all the credit in the world, they worked their butts off,” SPU coach Chuck Sekyra said of the Yellowjackets. “They defended very well and took a good goal from us. We had some chances, but we kind of let them stick around all night and that's what happens.”
 
Mancilla's goal came on one of only three second-half attempts for Billings, which was outshot 11-3 after halftime.
 
SPU's Ali Martin had two quality scoring opportunities early in the second half. She received a cross from the left side and headed it just wide of the left post in the 49th minute.
 
Martin had another header to the left side in the 59th minute. This one was denied by a diving deflection from MSUB goalkeeper Aiko Johnson.
 
Natalie Harold stopped three shots for the 22nd-ranked Falcons (14-3-2), who had their nine-game winning streak snapped. They lost for the first time in the last 14 games.
 
Johnson made five saves for the Yellowjackets, who were outshot by a 16-12 margin for the game. She blanked her 10th opponent and became the first goalkeeper this season to shut ut SPU.
 
Each team had two near misses in the first half.
 
In the 12th minute, MSUB's Heidi Greenback fired a 15-yard shot that required Harold to dive to her right for the save. Harold had another diving save in the 35th minute, deflecting Chelsea Shuman's high attempt away from the left corner.
 
All three of Harold's saves came during the first half SPU, which faced a 9-5 shot deficit before halftime.
 
Heather Young had a 16th-minute header off a corner kick travel just wide of the right post for the Falcons. Josie Graybeal sent a looping 35-yard shot toward the Yellowjackets goal, but it bounced off the crossbar.
 
 “It was a tough night. I don't know if we ever really stamped ourselves on this game as far as coming out and establishing ourselves,” Sekyra said. “We didn't ever really get into a real rhythm.”
 
The SPU women will discover their postseason destiny on Monday when the 48-team NCAA Division II Tournament field is announced at 4:30 p.m. They are seeded No. 2 in the current West Region rankings and six teams will receive playoff berths.
 
SPU participated in the postseason in each of the last nine years.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER
GNAC Tournament -- Semifinal
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Starfire Stadium/Tukwila, Wash.
 
Montana State Billings 1, (#22) Seattle Pacific 0
 
Scoring – 1, MSUB, Jessie Mancilla (Jaucelyn Richter) 65:36.
 
Shots – MSUB 12, SPU 16.
Saves – MSUB 5 (Aiko Johnson), SPU 3 (Natalie Harold).
Corner kicks – MSUB 2, SPU 5.
Fouls – MSUB 7, SPU 3.
Offsides – MSUB 0, SPU 3.
 
Records:
Seattle Pacific 14-3-2
Montana State Billings 13-5-1