Box Score                • Final Stats

 
Freshman Hannah Huesers stole the ball near the Sonoma State goal and scored from close range Thursday, lifting the sixth-seeded Seattle Pacific women to a 1-0 victory over the West Region's No. 3 seed in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Soccer Tournament.
 
SPU (15-5-1), which has not lost in its last 10 playoff openers, advances to a second-round meeting with host and No. 2 seed Western Washington (17-1-1). That West Region semifinal game is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday at the same Orca Field venue where the first-round game took place.
 
"It should be a good game," SPU coach Chuck Sekyra said of the upcoming clash on the Whatcom Community College campus in Bellingham. "We're going to come out and give it everything we have on Saturday."
 
That will be the fourth meeting this season between the Great Northwest Athletic Conference rivals. The Vikings won both regular-season encounters by the same 2-1 score to finish atop the final league standings.
 
They battled to a 1-1 overtime draw last Saturday in Tukwila, Wash. before SPU captured the GNAC Tournament championship by virtue of a 4-1 advantage over Western in the penalty-kick tiebreaker. Huesers (Lake Stevens, Wash./Lake Stevens HS) also scored her team's lone goal in that contest.
 
Thursday's scoring situation was initiated when SPU senior Kaylie Winston served a long ball into open space in the box. A Seawolves defender tried to shield the ball while it rolled toward her goalkeeper, but Huesers raced in to steal it and finish into the open goal from five yards out at 54:20.
 
The game-winner was the sixth score of the season for Huesers, the second-highest figure for the Falcons.
 
Sonoma, ranked 17th nationally, nearly equalized four minutes later, but Kristal Luna's hard 18-yard strike caromed off the left post.
 
 
During an 11-minute stretch midway through the second half, Harold denied Cara Curtin three times. She twice made diving saves before thwarting a breakaway by diving to smother the ball before Curtin could get off a shot.
 
"Natalie again was fantastic. She was really great off her line, made some great saves and held some balls in crowds," said Sekyra. "Natalie Harold is at the top of her game at the right time of the year."
 
Last weekend, Harold was named the Most Valuable Player of the GNAC Tournament. She stopped two of the three penalty kicks she faced during the shootout win over WWU.
 
Allison Hadidian was credited with two saves for the Seawolves, who were 16-9 leaders in the total shot count.
 
Sonoma's best scoring opportunity came in the 36th minute when Lauren Fryer launched a 10-yard shot from a sharp left angle that was stopped by Harold.
 
SPU controlled the early run of play. By the time SSU attempted its first shot 20 minutes into the contest, the Falcons had already fired four attempts.
 
The last two SPU shots in that opening stretch came within 11 seconds of each other. Ashley Shaw slammed a 19-foot shot off the left post and Alexa Diaz collected the rebound before delivering a shot that was saved by Hadidian.
 
At the half, the shot count was equal at 6-6.
 
"Any NCAA win is a great win and certainly this is up there with them for us," Sekyra said. "This was a good win against a quality team.
 
"I'm really proud of my team. They played good soccer and were very smart when we had the lead."
 
The Falcons are making their 11th consecutive postseason appearance, all of them under Sekyra.
 
Since suffering a first-round setback in their inaugural entry in 2003, they are undefeated in 10 consecutive tournament openers. SPU won its first NCAA game in eight seasons and drew two others that were decided by tiebreakers.

 
NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER
Division II Tournament – First Round
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Orca Field / Bellingham, Wash.
 
Seattle Pacific 1, Sonoma State 0
 
Scoring – 1, SPU, Hannah Huesers (Kaylie Winston), 54:20.
 
Shots – SPU 9, SSU 16.
Saves – SPU 9 (Natalie Harold), SSU 2 (Allison Hadidian).
Corner Kicks – SPU 1, SSU 4.
Fouls – SPU 8, SSU 10.
Offsides – SPU 2, SSU 2.
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 15-5-1
Sonoma State 13-5-3
 
Next Game
Seattle Pacific at Western Washington
Saturday, Nov. 16, 2:00 p.m.
Orca Field / Bellingham, Wash.