Box Score

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – Hannah Huesers netted the equalizer 1:05 into the second half Thursday as the Seattle Pacific women rallied for a 1-1 tie with Central Washington in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest at CWU Soccer Field.
 
The third-place Falcons (9-3-2) moved to 5-3-2 in league play. They picked up one point, but are now five points back of second-place Concordia, which was a 1-0 overtime winner earlier in the day. Second-ranked Western Washington has a stranglehold on first place with 30 points on a perfect 10-0 record.
 
The Wildcats scored 14 seconds before halftime to go ahead 1-0. Reilly Retz received a pass from Abby Litka and launched a 34-yard shot that was touched by SPU goalkeeper Molly Stinson (Woodinville HS) before trickling into the goal.
 
"The timing of that one was difficult," said SPU interim coach Arby Busey. "In the first half we had a bit of a sun-in-your-eyes issue and the wind was in our face as well. We did a great job of defending our goal up to that point. So it's a tough time to give up a goal, but the response in the second half was massive."
 
The CWU lead was short-lived as the Falcons evened the score 79 seconds later, at 46:05. Huesers dribbled from midfield and beat the centerback before chipping the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper from 18 yards out. That was the league-leading 12th goal of the season for the junior forward and her eighth in the last six games.
 
Huesers (Lake Stevens HS) led all GNAC scorers with 15 goals in 2014.
 
"It was huge. We talked about trying to get right back into it as quickly as we could in the second half and certainly Hannah answered the bell and did a great job of finishing that goal," Busey described.
 
"The ball got punted out to midfield and Haley Ayers won the initial ball. Laure Moore scrapped and found the second one and headed it through for Hannah, who went clean through to goal and finished from the top of the 18. She smashed it past the goalkeeper as she came out to try to close her down."
 
The closest thing to a game-winner came in the 74th minute when SPU's Mickayla Mury (Kelso HS) fired a shot that was cleared off the goal line by the Wildcats Alyssa Navlet.

 

Both goalkeepers were busy. Stinson stopped five shots for the Falcons. Sydney Williams made seven saves for Central, which was outshot by a slim 19-17 margin.
 
Williams was particularly busy after halftime when she collected six of her saves. She was called upon to make just one first-half stop as the Falcons mustered only four shots and none of those came during the opening 23 minutes. SPU increased the offensive pressure, compiling 10 shots in the second half and five during the two, 10-minute overtimes.
 
"It was a tough game. We created a ton of chances in the second half and overtimes and were unfortunate not to score more than a goal on the day," said Busey. "They cleared some off the line and their goalkeeper had some saves. It was a little frustrating for us to come away with a tie."
 
The Wildcats (5-8-1) now have a 3-5-1 record in GNAC games with their first draw of the year.
 
Thursday marked the only encounter in 2015 between these rivals, who had met twice every season since the SPU program was formed in 2001. With the addition of a ninth team, the GNAC is no longer implementing a double round-robin schedule. The Falcons play four league foes just once, including Concordia, Montana State Billings and Simon Fraser.
 
The SPU women play their remaining three regular-season game at home, beginning on Saturday against Saint Martin's. Kick-off is 7 p.m. at Interbay Stadium where the Falcons entertain Western Oregon on Oct. 29 and Carroll College on Oct. 31.
 
Those will be the Falcons first home games since Oct. 8. Thursday's result capped a four-game road trip with a 2-1-1 record.
 
"It will be nice to get back home into the friendly confines of Interbay," Busey said. "It seems like forever since we've gotten the opportunity to play there. It has felt like a long time of being on the road. It will be great to be in our place for the remainder of the regular season here."
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER
Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015
CWU Soccer Field / Ellensburg, Wash.
 
Seattle Pacific 1, at Central Washington 1 (2ot)
 
Scoring – 1, CWU, Reilly Retz (Abby Litka), 44:46; 2, SPU, Hannah Huesers, 46:05.
 
Shots – SPU 19, CWU 17.
Saves – SPU 5 (Molly Stinson), CWU 8 (Sydney Williams 7, Team 1).
Corner kicks – SPU 3, CWU 6.
Fouls – SPU 11, CWU 16.
Offsides – SPU 1, CWU 1.
 
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 9-3-2, 5-3-2 GNAC.
Central Washington 5-8-1, 3-5-1 GNAC.
 
Next SPU Women's Game
Saint Martin's at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, Oct. 24, 7:00 p.m.
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.