Box Score           • Final Stats      |      • VIDEO: Alexa Diaz

SEATTLE – The Falcons have rarely found themselves trailing by two goals in women's soccer. That was the case on Thursday before they staged what Coach Chuck Sekyra claims was their finest rally ever.
 
Alexa Diaz assisted on the final two goals, including Demi Waitley's 84th-minute game-winner that completed a three-goal rally for Seattle Pacific in a 3-2 Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory over Saint Martin's at Interbay Stadium.
 
"That's as good a comeback as I've ever seen as far as my coaching career goes," said Sekyra, in his 11th season as head coach at SPU. "The kids showed a lot of character. They believe in themselves. They believe that if we play good soccer and possess the ball that we can create chances against everybody."
 


The Falcons (11-4) picked up their third straight win and improved to 8-3 in league outings.
 
They rallied from a two-goal deficit after the Saints (4-10) went ahead on a pair of goals by Kelli Bannerman. She scored 17 minutes into the contest on a 10-yard shot and then got her ninth goal of the season from close range just 57 seconds after halftime.
 
Giving up a quick second-half goal didn't discourage SPU.
 
"Their answer was not to panic," Sekyra said of his Falcons. "Their answer to it was nothing more than playing our game and keeping the ball, getting numbers in the attack, creating quality chances and then putting away our chances.
 
"If that doesn't help you believe that you can do anything, then I don't know what does. I've never seen anything like that."
 
Freshman Maddie Krauss (Lake Oswego, Ore.) started SPU's comeback with an unassisted 11-yard boot to the lower right at 48:55. All three of her goals have come during the last two games.
 
Laura Moore (Kent, Wash./Kentwood HS) equalized with her team-leading seventh score on a breakaway off a through ball from Diaz. The junior forward raced to the ball and dribbled to the right around the onrushing SMU goalkeeper before pushing a six-yard shot into the open net at 60:54.
 
Diaz set up the game-winner at 83:41, chesting an Ashley Shaw cross down to the feet of Waitley (Coronado, Calif.) who finished to the right from seven yards out. The junior forward's fourth goal of the season capped SPU's impressive run of three unanswered goals.
 
Despite missing four games due to injuries, Diaz (Burien, Wash./Kennedy HS) leads the Falcons with six assists. The junior midfielder didn't play in the first half Thursday. She entered the game in the 58th minute and just over three minutes later assisted on the tying goal.
 
"Alexa gave us a lift with her energy and her level of soccer," said Sekyra. "She came out and played great soccer. We've been missing her, but it's been the right thing to do to rest her. She really lifted us tonight."
 
Senior goalkeeper Natalie Harold (Vancouver, Wash./Heritage HS) stopped two shots for the hosts.
 
Gina Cardenas had six saves for SMU, which was on the short end of a 15-7 shot differential.
 
The Saints dropped to 3-8 in GNAC games. They were swept in the season series by SPU, which won a 1-0 decision on Sept. 21 in Lacey, Wash., and have lost all 14 meetings.
 
The Falcons play their final regular-season road game on Saturday at Western Oregon. Kick-off is 11 a.m. in Monmouth, Ore.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER
Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.
 
at Seattle Pacific 3, Saint Martin's 2
 
Scoring – 1, SMU, Kelli Bannerman (Kenzie Phillips), 17:00; 2, SMU, Bannerman (Sasha Dini, Ashley Richardson), 45:57; 3, SPU, Maddie Krauss, 48:55; 4, SPU, Laura Moore (Alexa Diaz), 60:54; 5, Demi Waitley (Diaz, Ashley Shaw), 83:41.
 
Shots – SMU 7, SPU 15.
Saves – SMU 6 (Gina Cardenas), SPU 2 (Natalie Harold).
Corner Kicks – SMU 1, SPU 4.
Fouls – SMU 10, SPU 6.
Offsides – SMU 2, SPU 3.
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 11-4-0, 8-3-0 GNAC
Saint Martin's 4-10-0, 3-8-0
 
Next SPU Women's Game
Seattle Pacific at Western Oregon
Saturday, Oct. 26, 11:00 a.m. PDT
WOU Soccer Field / Monmouth, Ore.