Box Score

LACEY, Wash. –The Falcons played a full 90 on Saturday, and needed nearly all of it to extract victory from a seemingly certain defeat.
 
Hannah Huesers scored with seven seconds left in regulation and Laura Moore netted a golden goal early in overtime of a thrilling 2-1 triumph for the 11th-ranked Seattle Pacific women in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference soccer game at SMU Soccer Field.
 
"We showed a lot of resiliency today," exclaimed interim coach Arby Busey. "We had a game that was very difficult to get and our players showed a ton of character in their approach to playing all 90 minutes."
 
The Falcons (5-1-1) posted their first league victory, evening their ledger at 1-1-1.
 
SPU outshot the hosts 23-4, but was scoreless on its first 20 attempts. Two of those shots were cleared off the goal line by defenders and a 60th-minute blast by Huesers caromed off the post.
 
Busey credits his staff with some tactical changes that turned the game around after intermission.
 
"Our assistant coaches suggested some great adjustments. Saint Martin's didn't have any shots after halftime and those guys had some great ideas that really helped keep them from having any serious threats after that and allowed us to really push on them and attack."
 
The Saints (1-5-0), who have lost all 17 matchups with SPU, dropped to 0-2-0 in GNAC games. They got on the scoreboard first, at 34:25. Passes from Carly Bannerman and Abby McFaul set up Kelli Bannerman for a goal from the center of the box. That was her third score of the season, tying for team-high honors.
 
SMU then bunkered in defensively and only produced one more shot the rest of the game, none during the second half and overtime. That tactic was successful until Huesers (Lake Stevens HS) broke through for the equalizer at 89:53.
 
The junior forward took a feed from Isabel Farrell (Interlake HS) and poked it in from close range with her team-high fourth goal of the season.
 
"Hannah worked really hard in the second half to find opportunities for herself, but always seemed to find the goalkeeper or the goalpost or one of their guys cleared it off the line," Busey described. "She had a big-time second half and put herself in a great place to finish. It was just desserts for her to get that goal because she had opportunities all over the place in the second half."

 

Just 1:15 into overtime, senior Laura Moore (Kentwood HS) scored her fourth goal of the year and two of those have been golden goals. Nine of her 18 career scores were of the game-winning variety.
 
"Laura puts herself in spots around the goal that are very good so there is not as much work left to be done to finish after her first touch. She's very clever, very crafty about where she sets up," said Busey.
 
"Obviously she's been a clutch performer for a long time for us and you start to have confidence in those moments because she's done it before. Her teammates are aware of that as well and they look for her in those moments."
 
Moore netted Saturday's winner at 91:15, finding the back of the net from five yards out. She received the pass from Brooke Holland (Skyline HS) and took a touch between the central defenders before firing the decisive shot.
 
SPU owned the early run of play and got off five shots before Saint Martin's managed its first. The Falcons fifth attempt, a 22nd-minute shot by Farrell, was blocked off the goal line by a defender.
 
The Saints didn't get a shot off until the 29th minute, and that try was snared by the SPU goalkeeper.
 
Sophomore Molly Stinson (Woodinville HS) was credited with two saves en route to her fifth victory in goal for the Falcons.
 
Sunny DeBoer started for SMU and made one save before departing in the 61st minute in favor of reserve goalkeeper Ali Koehler, who stopped three shots.

Busey believes that the dramatic victory could serve as a turning point for the Falcons after opening GNAC play with a draw and loss in the last two outings.
 
"We're all hoping that this becomes extremely pivotal and the moment that we talk about that catapulted us to something great. There was some doubt starting to creep in with the way that the last two games had gone and the way this one had gone for 89-minutes and 53-seconds.
 
"There was some doubt creeping in and a timely, late goal from Hannah gave us confidence again. We had a pretty good feeling in our huddle in the overtime that we could go out and snatch the entire game from them because of the adrenaline we were feeling in that moment."
 
The SPU women return home to start a three-game homestand, beginning on Thursday against fifth-ranked Western Washington. Kick-off is 7 p.m. at Interbay Stadium.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER
Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015
SMU Soccer Field / Lacey, Wash.
 
#11 Seattle Pacific 2, at Saint Martin's 1 (ot)
 
Scoring – 1, SMU, Kelli Bannerman (Abby McFaul, Carly Bannerman), 34:25; 2, SPU, Hannah Huesers (Isabel Farrell), 89:53; 3, SPU, Laura Moore (Brooke Holland), 91:15.
 
Shots – SPU 23, SMU 4.
Saves –SPU 2 (Molly Stinson), SMU 6 (Sunny DeBoer 1, Ali Koehler 3, Team 2).
Corner Kicks – SPU 11, SMU 4.
Fouls – SPU 7, SMU 9.
Offsides – SPU 6, SMU 1.
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 5-1-1, 1-1-1 GNAC
Saint Martin's 1-5-0, 0-2-0 GNAC
 
Next SPU Women's Game
Western Washington at Seattle Pacific
Thursday, Oct. 1, 7:00 p.m.
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.