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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 –
Simon Fraser at (#7) Seattle Pacific
7:00 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
• LiveStats:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/spu/wsoc/
 
Two undefeated teams clash on Saturday, Sept. 19 in Seattle when Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's soccer play begins. Fourth-ranked Seattle Pacific (4-0-0) entertains Simon Fraser (2-0-1) in a matchup of the league's lone unbeatens. Kick-off is 7 p.m. at Interbay Stadium. SPU is undefeated in 10 all-time meetings versus the Clan with nine wins and one tie.
 
GNAC Title Hunt
Seattle Pacific seeks to reclaim the GNAC regular-season championship after having a three-year streak halted with Western Washington wins in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The Falcons are projected second in 2015 by a preseason poll of the league's coaches, but got two first-place votes. WWU was picked first, garnering six of the remaining seven first-place tallies. SPU won eight of the 14 titles since the GNAC began sponsoring women's soccer in 2001. The Falcons won the last two GNAC Tournament titles.
 
Ticket Talk
Tickets for SPU soccer games can be purchased on game day at Interbay Stadium (3027 17th Ave. W., Seattle 98119). Ticket windows open one hour prior to kickoff. All seats are general admission and priced at $6 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. SPU students and staff are admitted free. Groups or teams of 10 or more may qualify for reduced ticket rates by calling (206) 281-2085 in advance.
 
Ranking Report
The SPU women vaulted to No. 7 in this week's national coaches rankings after polling at No. 23 last week. They did not receive any votes in the preseason poll.


 
Player of the Week
SPU senior midfielder Laura Moore, who played a part in both game-winning goals during two victories, was honored as the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. She netted two goals in a 3-2 overtime triumph at Cal State East Bay. Her golden goal, on a 20-yard strike, ended the game with 1:33 left in the final extra session. Her first goal gave the Falcons their initial lead. On Thursday, a pass from Moore set up Hannah Huesers' goal in the 87th minute of a 1-0 win at Notre Dame de Namur. A product of Kentwood (Wash.) High School, Moore paces SPU with eight points and is tied for the team lead with three goals. She scored or assisted on the game-winner in three of four wins.
 
Playoff Pursuit
Seattle Pacific seeks to return to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the 13th straight year. The Falcons won the 2008 national championship. Last season they suffered a 2-1 double-overtime, first-round loss to Cal State Stanislaus in Bellingham. SPU advanced to the Final Four on three occasions (2005, 2007, 2008).
 
2015 Preview
Seven starters return from the 2014 GNAC Tournament champions, including the league's Player of the Year and its leading scorer. Senior midfielder Isabel Farrell took home the league's top individual honor last year along with the Newcomer of the Year award, after transferring from Washington. She compiled eight goals and seven assists. Junior forward Hannah Huesers topped all GNAC scorers with 15 goals in 2014 and five of those were game-winning strikes. Those two were joined on the first-team all-conference squad by senior midfielder Laura Moore, who tallied four goals and seven assists for the Falcons. Returning players accounted for 32 goals last season, helping SPU outscore opponents by a 38-16 margin. The stingy SPU defense features second-team All-GNAC selection Shayla Page, a senior. Sophomore goalkeeper Molly Stinson took over the starting job for the final five games in 2014 and forged two shutouts and a fine 0.48 goals against average. Adding to the talent base are six veterans that each drew at least one start last year along with eight incoming freshman and Northern Arizona transfer Maddie Sjothun.
 
This Week's Opponent
Simon Fraser (2-0-1) -- The Clan became a GNAC member in 2010 as the first Canadian school to join the NCAA. Annie Hamel is in her second season as head coach at SFU, which was directed for the previous 25 years by Shelley Howieson. The Clan are the only other undefeated GNAC team, along with SPU. They outscored opponents 4-1 led by two goals and an assist from Christina Dickson. Goalkeeper Priya Sandhu has two shutouts and a 0.31 goals against average. The Falcons own a 9-0-1 series advantage, including two wins last season. They beat Simon Fraser 4-1 on Sept. 18 in Seattle and 2-1 on Oct. 25 in Seattle with Hannah Huesers netting both goals.

 

Coach Arby Busey
Arby Busey begins 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 2-0-0 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. Previously, Busey served as the head women's soccer coach at the University of Idaho from 2002-04 after two years as an assistant. He then returned to his Alma Mater as an assistant from 2005-06. He played at Villanova and graduated in 1993. Busey's first coaching job was an assistant post at Mercer Island (Wash.) High School from 1994-98. He has worked as an elite-level club coach with the Olympic Development Program, Northwest Nationals and Crossfire Premier.
 
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.
 
Dynamic Duo
SPU was the highest scoring team in the conference with 38 goals during the 2014 season. Of those scores, 23 came from the prolific pair of Hannah Huesers (15) and Isabel Farrell (8), who ranked first and second among GNAC scoring leaders. Farrell was the 2014 GNAC Player of the Year and Huesers was a first-team all-league honoree.
 
Next Week
The Falcons hit the road to visit Northwest Nazarene on Sept. 24 and Saint Martin's on Sept. 26. Those are the first of six GNAC road games on the slate.