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2015 GNAC WOMEN'S SOCCER TOURNAMENT
Terry Fox Field / Burnaby, B.C.
•Webcast & LiveStats:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/gnac/

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5 (semifinal games)
Game 1 -- (3) Seattle Pacific vs. (2) Concordia, 4:00 p.m. PST
Game 2 -- (4) Montana State Billings vs. (1) Western Washington, 7:00 p.m. PST
 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7 (championship game)
Game 3 -- Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 1:00 p.m. PST
 
Two-time defending Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament champion Seattle Pacific begins defense of its title this week at Terry Fox Field in Burnaby, B.C. The third-seeded Falcons' (12-3-2) opening round foe is No. 2 Concordia (11-3-3), a team they beat 3-1 in this year's only meeting, on Oct. 8 in Seattle. The semifinal clash takes place on Thursday, Nov. 5. Kick-off is 4 p.m. followed by top-seeded and second-ranked Western Washington (16-1-1) playing No. 4 Montana State Billings (8-6-2) at 7 p.m. in the nightcap. Thursday's semifinal winners square off in the GNAC championship game on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 1 p.m. The winner gets the league's automatic berth into the NCAA playoffs. SPU won the last two titles, tying regular-season champ Western Washington and winning the penalty kick tiebreaker in both 2013 and 2014. The Falcons needed to win the GNAC Tournament both of those years to get into the NCAA playoffs. They may not need to this year, but would still like to guarantee their spot. GNAC Tournament tickets are available at the gate with cash only. Both U.S. and Canadian currency will be accepted. Tickets are priced at $8 for adults and $4 for students, children and senior citizens.
 
GNAC Tourney History
This is the fourth-annual GNAC Tournament. SPU and Western Washington tied 1-1 through two overtimes in the 2014 final before the Falcons claimed the championship with a 5-4 decision in the penalty kick tiebreaker. SPU's Isabel Farrell was the tournament MVP. That was a repeat of the 2013 final when SPU won the shootout 4-1 behind goalkeeper Natalie Harold, the tourney MVP. Western defeated Montana State Billings 2-0 to win the inaugural conference postseason crown in 2012. SPU lost 1-0 to Billings in the 2012 semifinal round. This year's field has three repeat teams from 2014 (SPU, WWU, Montana State Billings) with Concordia the lone new entry.


 
Playoff Pursuit
The Seattle Pacific women seek to return to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the 13th straight season. The top-six teams in the West Region receive Tournament invitations and SPU was ranked fifth last week. The Falcons participated in the last 12 NCAA Tournaments, winning the 2008 national championship. Last season they suffered a 2-1 double-overtime, first-round loss to Cal State Stanislaus in Bellingham, Wash. SPU advanced to the Final Four on three occasions (2005, 2007, 2008).
 
NCAA Format
The top-two teams in the West Region will host first- and second-round NCAA Division II Tournament games on Nov. 12 and 14. The 48-team NCAA Division II championship field will be announced on Monday, Nov. 9 at 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time via a webcast selection show on NCAA.com.

 

GNAC Honors
The GNAC All-Star Team was released Tuesday and SPU's Hannah Huesers was honored as the Player of the Year. Isabel Farrell, Laura Moore and Shayla Page were also first teamers. Taylor Hauck and Emma Holm were honorable mention picks.
 
Throw-Ins
SPU was the only team to score more than one goal against Concordia this season, winning 3-1 on Oct. 8 in Seattle ... Hannah Huesers leads the GNAC and ranks 22nd nationally with 14 goals. She is SPU's No. 4 all-time scorer with 35 career goals ... SPU has a 10-0-0 record when scoring first ... Laura Moore is tied for the GNAC lead with four game-winning goals ... Shayla Page earned All-GNAC acclaim all four years.
 
Scouting the GNAC Tournament Field
Concordia (11-3-3, 8-2-2 GNAC) -- The second-seeded Cavaliers, from Portland, Oregon, are first-year members of the GNAC and the NCAA after previously competing in the NAIA. They can win the GNAC trophy, but are ineligible for the NCAA Tournament. Shannon McMahon tops the team with 11 points and is one of three players with four goals four CU, which has outscored opponents 26-10.  Goalkeeper Olivia Brock has eight shutouts and a 0.50 goals against average. Concordia and SPU meet for the first time ever on Oct. 8 in Seattle and the Falcons won 3-1, becoming the only team to net more than one goal against the Cavaliers who closed with a 4-1-1 record after that.
 
Western Washington (16-1-1, 11-0-1) -- The second-ranked Vikings won their fourth straight GNAC regular-season title. They lost to SPU in each of last two GNAC Tournaments, both on shootouts. This year's Vikings are outscoring opponents 44-9, sparked by 10 goals from Catherine Miles. Goalkeeper Ashley Haden compiled seven shutouts and a 0.43 goals against average. Travis Connell, a four-year SPU men's soccer letterman (1991-95), is in his 13th year and owns WWU's all-time mark with 173 coaching wins. The Falcons lead the all-time series 18-10-6 despite not beating Western since Oct. 27, 2012, covering a span of nine games during which WWU went 6-0-3. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in the 2014 GNAC championship game before the Falcons were declared winners by winning the penalty-kick tiebreaker 5-4. Western won this year's first meeting 1-0 on Oct. 23 in Seattle on a goal in the 49th minute by Caitlyn Jobanek. The Vikings were 3-1 victors on Oct. 17 in Bellingham.
 
Montana State Billings (8-6-2, 6-5-1 GNAC) -- The Yellowjackets won three of their last four games to capture the No. 4 seed for the GNAC Tournament. MSUB is outscoring opponents by a 19-14 margin led by the six goals of Alycia Wright. Goalkeeper Chloe Hopps has five shutouts and a 0.82 goals against average. The Falcons own a 17-4-1 series lead, outscoring the Yellowjackets 45-11 all-time. SPU won this season's only previous meetings, getting a 1-0 decision on Oct. 15 in Billings on a 50th-minute goal from Laura Moore. The Falcons were 1-0 winners in the 2014 GNAC semifinals. Isabel Farrell scored on a 34th-minute free kick.

 

2014 Review
The Falcons fashioned a 12-5-3 overall record in 2014 and tied for second in the GNAC with a 9-3-2 mark. They captured their second straight GNAC Tournament championship with a tiebreaker triumph over regular-season winner Western Washington after the teams tied 1-1. SPU made its 12th consecutive NCAA playoff appearance, but fell 2-1 in double overtime to Cal State Stanislaus in the opening round. Four starters departed from that squad, including midfielders Demi Waitley and Alexa Diaz along with defender Arden Matro. Goalkeeper Alexa Hughes started the first 15 games in 2014 before being replaced by Molly Stinson. SPU outscored foes 38-16 led by the 15 goals of GNAC leader Hannah Huesers and eight from league MVP Isabel Farrell.
 
Coach Arby Busey
Arby Busey is in his 10th year on the Seattle Pacific staff and his first as the interim head coach. He served the previous nine seasons as an assistant to Chuck Sekyra, who resigned in January after compiling a 209-34-20 record in 12 seasons. Busey has a 12-3-2 record as the third coach in the 15-year history of the program. That list includes the two-year stint of inaugural coach Bobby Bruch, who posted a 21-14-3 mark from 2001-02. From his assistant post since 2006, Busey helped the Falcons to an impressive 95-30-12 record and playoff appearances each season. SPU won the 2008 NCAA Division II championship and reached the 2007 national semifinals during his tenure. He is a 1993 graduate of Villanova and was the Idaho head coach from 2002-04.