Box Score    |   • VIDEO: Kaytlin  Willis

SEATTLE – An infusion of scoring from two unlikely sources provided a much-needed lift for the Falcons.
 
Kaytlin Willis and Maddy Booster each scored their first collegiate goal during the second half Thursday, leading the Seattle Pacific women to a 2-0 shutout of Western Oregon in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference soccer game at Interbay Stadium.
 
The duo couldn't have picked a better time to produce according to interim coach Arby Busey, lamenting an otherwise listless effort by the Falcons, who managed a season-low eight shots.
 
"Not a lot of energy tonight, which was surprising. With what we have to play for I thought we would get more. To be outshot on our home field was surprising to me. Credit to Western Oregon, they came in and played hard and made life difficult for us at times."
 

 
A freshman defender, Willis (Snohomish HS) pushed forward and found herself with the ball 30 yards from the WOU goal. She drove a shot into the upper left just over two minutes into the second half on only her second shot as a Falcon.
 
"She was playing right back and kind of found her way forward," Busey described. "Kaytlin was unopposed and decided that she was going to take a shot, and she can hit the ball well. She caught all of that one."
 
Booster's (Bend, Ore.) inaugural score, at 81:18, relieved a lot of pressure as the Wolves were attacking at the other end of the field. The sophomore defender reached the ball during a goalmouth scramble near the left post and poked it past goalkeeper Nicole Tejada.
 
"Maddy Booster was by far the player that played the best for us and deservedly got a goal at the end," said Busey.
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Molly Stinson (Woodinville HS) needed just one save to collect her sixth clean sheet. WOU had a 10-8 shot advantage, but put just one attempt directly on goal. Six SPU shots were on frame.
 
Tejada stopped three shots and teammate Dana Goularte denied another SPU attempt, racing toward the goal to clear a roller out of the 6-yard box. Julia DeVere had sent that long shot past the Western defense in the 41st minute.
 
Busey expressed pride at his team's ability to persevere.
 
"When you're not at your best, which we certainly weren't tonight, to be able to find a way to win is a sign of a good team. It was difficult treading. We went away from who we are and that made life more difficult than it needed to be tonight."

 

The Falcons (11-3-2) completed their league slate with a 7-3-2 record to finish in third place. They will be the No. 3 seed for next week's four-team GNAC Tournament that will be played in Burnaby, B.C.
 
The SPU women meet No. 2 seed Concordia (11-3-2) on Nov. 5 in a semifinal matchup. They were 3-1 victors in this season's only meeting, on Oct. 8 in Seattle, dealing the Cavaliers one of their two league losses.
 
"We're just excited to be there. At the end of the day you want to be at the top of the heap, but that wasn't possible," Busey said. "So just getting an invitation to the dance is what we want.
 
"Now we have to go play one more game on Saturday and then head up north to make the most of that opportunity that we've earned through some good stuff throughout the regular season."
 
SPU captured the last two GNAC Tournament championships, both of them with penalty-kick shootout decisions over Western Washington. The Vikings have secured the top seed with a perfect 11-0-0 league ledger.
 
The Wolves (7-8-1) fell to 3-7-1 in conference play.
 
The Falcons close out the regular season on Saturday with a non-conference game against Carroll College. Kick-off is 1:30 p.m. at Interbay Stadium as the opener of a soccer doubleheader with the men, who play at 4 p.m.
 
Saturday marks the final home playing appearance for six SPU women's players: Isabel Farrell, Monica Gomez, Taylor Hauck, Laura Moore, Shayla Page and Ashley Shaw. They will be honored with a pre-game ceremony on Saturday.
 
"It will be a celebration," said Busey. "These guys have contributed a ton to the program and we hope that we can come out and put a performance together that honors all the effort that they put in through this year and the previous three. They certainly deserve it."
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER
Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.
 
at Seattle Pacific 2, Western Oregon 0
 
Scoring – 1, SPU, Kaytlin Willis, 47:05; 2, SPU, Maddy Booster, 81:18.
 
Shots – WOU 10, SPU 8.
Saves – WOU 4 (Nicole Tejada 3, Team 1), SPU 1 (Molly Stinson).
Corner kicks – WOU 1, SPU 2.
Fouls – WOU 4, SPU 9.
Offsides – WOU 1, SPU 0.
 
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 11-3-2, 7-3-2 GNAC
Western Oregon 7-8-1, 3-7-1
 
Next SPU Women's Game
Carroll College at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, Oct. 31, 1:30 p.m.
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.