• Box score, play-by-play
• VIDEO: Natalie Harold
SEATTLE – “If we can put up one and not give up any goals, that's always a good day for us,” is junior goalkeeper
Natalie Harold's assessment of the Seattle Pacific women's 1-0 win over Azusa Pacific in their soccer home opener.
Heather Young scored on a point-blank attempt midway through the first half Thursday, and Harold came up with a clutch second-half save as the Falcons got back to their winning ways with a non-conference victory at Interbay Stadium.
Harold (Vancouver, Wash./Heritage HS) had four saves altogether to earn the shutout for the Falcons (2-1-0). One of those was a diving stop at the left post to deny a shot by Cassidy Burr on a counterattack just six minutes into the second half. She knocked the ball away to preserve the lead and ultimately the win.
“There was a breakdown somewhere on the back line,” Harold described. “She got loose, she got a look to the goal and she shot to my right. I parried it out of the way by the far post.”
Coach
Chuck Sekyra marveled at his goalkeeper's ability to make a spectacular play after a long stretch of inactivity, including the halftime break.
“That was a great save. She does that all the time in practice,” he said.
“On a team like ours where we're not giving up a lot of chances, sometimes she doesn't get an opportunity to get in a rhythm. Tonight, she didn't get tested for several minutes and then came up with an amazing save.”
The Falcons bounced back from last Saturday's 2-1 loss to Cal State San Marcos by dominating possession of the ball against the Cougars (1-2-0). SPU outshot the visitors from Azusa, Calif., by a 20-8 margin, including 14-2 during the first half.
Sophomore defender
Riley Dopps (Port Orchard, Wash./Gig Harbor HS) started the scoring play by floating the ball across the penalty area from deep on the attacking right side. Young met it with her head about five yards in front of the left post and nodded it into the back right corner at the 21:10 mark for her second goal of the season.
SPU nearly doubled its lead late in the 37th minute when freshman forward
Laura Moore (Kent, Wash./Kentwood HS), playing near the top left corner of the 6-yard box, ripped a shot across the goalmouth that Azusa keeper Michelle Wieland dove to deflect away from the right post.
“We obviously could have gone into halftime two or three up. We played well enough to do that, outshooting them 14-2 in the first half,” said Sekyra.
“I wish we could have put one or two more on the board, but I liked our energy tonight. We came out, dictated the run of play and created a lot of chances. We were the better team and it felt really good to do that.”
Azusa Pacific is in its first year as an NCAA Division II member. The Cougars advanced to the NAIA national semifinals last season.
The Falcons had two more back-to-back chances in the goalmouth late in the 56th minute. A corner kick from the right side by sophomore defender
Alexa Diaz (Burien, Wash./Kennedy HS) went to the near post. Freshman defender
Shayla Page (Redmond, Wash./Eastlake HS) got off a shot at the top of the 6 that a defender deflected away from the right post.
But the rebound came directly out to freshman midfielder
Ashley Shaw (Seattle/Seattle Lutheran HS), who fired it right back on goal, only to see Wieland make the save.
The Falcons return to action at Interbay on Saturday at 7 p.m. against Hawaii Pacific in another non-conference game. SPU begins its Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule next Thursday at Montana State Billings.
NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER
Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.
Seattle Pacific 1, Azusa Pacific 0
Scoring – 1, SPU:
Heather Young (
Riley Dopps), 21:10.
Shots – APU 8, SPU 20.
Saves – APU 9 (Michelle Wieland), SPU 4 (
Natalie Harold).
Corner kicks – APU 3, SPU 4.
Fouls – APU 11, SPU 11.
Offsides – APU 0, SPU 2.
Cautions / ejections – None.
Records:
Seattle Pacific 2-1-0
Azusa Pacific 1-2-0
Next Game:
Hawaii Pacific at Seattle Pacific
Interbay Stadium, Saturday, 7:00 p.m.
