• Complete Release (pdf)    |    • VIDEO: Kelly  Gould

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13 –
Seattle Pacific at Montana State Billings
11:30 a.m. PDT (12:30 p.m. MDT), Yellowjacket Field, Billings, Mont.
•Webcast & LiveStats:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15 –
Simon Fraser at Seattle Pacific
4:00 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
• LiveStats:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/spu/wsoc/
 
The longest trip by distance in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference will be followed this week by the final, three-game homestand for the Seattle Pacific women's soccer team. The third-place Falcons (6-2-3, 3-1-2 GNAC) travel 817 miles to visit Montana State Billings (3-6-2, 3-2-1) on Thursday, Oct. 13. Kick-off is 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time (12:30 p.m. Mountain) at Yellowjacket Field. The SPU women seek to stop a streak that since 2011 has seen them win in Billings during the three odd-numbered years while losing in the two even-numbered years. The Falcons then return to Seattle for three straight games that complete their home schedule at Interbay Stadium. SPU entertains Simon Fraser (5-4-1, 3-3-0) on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 4 p.m. The Falcons have not lost in 12 all-time meetings versus the Clan, including a 2-1 win on Sept. 29 in Burnaby, B.C.
 
Ticket Talk
Individual game tickets for SPU soccer games can be purchased at Interbay Stadium (3027 17th Ave. W., Seattle 98119) on game day. Ticket windows open one hour prior to kickoff. All seats are general admission, priced at $6 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. SPU students and staff are admitted free with i.d. Discounted group rates can be arranged by contacting the SPU Ticket Office in advance at:  206-281-2085.
 
Falcon Thursdays
Fans are encouraged to wear SPU gear to all games, but especially on Falcon Thursdays. Every Thursday throughout the academic year, students, faculty and staff on campus will be showing their maroon colors and wearing SPU gear to celebrate Falcon Thursdays.
 


Fantastic Forward
Senior Hannah Huesers leads SPU with six goals. She was the 2015 GNAC and West Region Player of the Year and led the league in scoring in both 2015 (14 goals) and 2014 (15). The senior forward is tied for third (with Megan Lindsay) among the school's career scoring leaders with 41 goals, eight shy of the standard of 49 established by Sarah Martinez (2004-07). Huesers owns the No. 4 spot among all-time Falcons with 12 career game-winning goals, a list that is topped by the 21 game-winners of Martinez.
 
Throw-Ins
SPU has tied back-to-back games for only the second time (2012) and has never drawn three straight contests … The Falcons allowed one goal in each of its last four outings after back-to-back shutouts, forging a 0.62 goals against average in that six-game span ... Fourteen different Falcons have picked up at least one point with a goal and/or assist and five players have netted a game-winning goal ... Nine of the 11 SPU games were tied or decided by one goal.
 
Last Week
The Falcons played 220 minutes of soccer in a three-day span, getting 1-1 draws versus Central Washington (Oct. 4) and Concordia (Oct. 6). Hannah Huesers scored early second-half goals in both games with assists from Kelly Gould and Emma Holm.
 
Playoff Pursuit
Seattle Pacific seeks to return to the NCAA Tournament for the 14th straight year. The current run of 13 consecutive appearances is tied for the longest active playoff streak among Division II women's soccer teams. The Falcons won the 2008 national championship. Last season they reached the West Region semifinal.
 
2016 Preview
Seven starters return from the 2015 NCAA Tournament team, including players that accounted for 23 goals for SPU, which outscored opponents 35-17. Heading the list of returnees is senior forward Hannah Huesers, the 2015 GNAC and West Region Player of the Year. She netted 14 goals to claim the league scoring title for the second straight season. Senior midfielder Emma Holm was an honorable mention All-GNAC honoree in 2015. The defense is backed by junior goalkeeper Molly Stinson who was credited with seven of the team's nine shutouts while compiling an outstanding 0.81 goals against average. Adding to the talent base are six veterans that each drew at least one start last year, along with six incoming freshmen.
 
This Week's Opponents
Montana State Billings (3-6-2, 3-2-1 GNAC) -- The Yellowjackets were 2-1 overtime winners at Simon Fraser in their last outing, stopping a two-game losing skid. Dana Lubieniecki paces the MSUB attack with four goals and two assists. Goalkeeper Lili Delgadillo has one shutout and a 1.65 goals against average. The teams met just once last season, with SPU getting a 1-0 win on Oct. 15 in Billings. The Falcons own a 17-4-1 series lead, outscoring the Yellowjackets 45-11 all-time.
 
Simon Fraser (5-4-1, 3-3-0 GNAC) -- The Clan became a GNAC member in 2010 as the first Canadian school to join the NCAA. Annie Hamel is in her third season as head coach at SFU. Emma Pringle accounted for seven of SFU's 16 goals this season. Goalkeeper Priya Sandhu has five shutouts and a 0.88 goals against average. The Falcons own a 10-0-2 series advantage, including a 2-1 win on Sept. 29 in Burnaby in the last meeting behind goals from Maddie Krauss and Emma Young.

 

Coach Busey
Arby Busey is in his 11th year on the Seattle Pacific staff and his second as head coach. In 2015, he directed the Falcons to a 14-5-2 record, third-place GNAC finish (7-3-2) and GNAC Tournament finals berth. SPU advanced to the West Regional semifinals of the NCAA Division II playoffs. Busey has a 20-7-5 record as the third coach in the 16-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, and the 12-year run of Chuck Sekyra who was 209-34-20 from 2003-2014. From his assistant post from 2006-14, 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.
 
2015 Review
The Falcons fashioned a 14-5-2 overall record in 2015 and finished third in the conference standings with a 7-3-2 mark. They advanced to the GNAC Tournament championship game for the third straight season before losing 3-1 to Western Washington. The SPU women participated in the postseason for the 13th straight season. They defeated UC San Diego 2-1 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament before falling 1-0 at WWU. A trio of graduated seniors were All-West Region honorees, Laura Moore, Shayla Page and Isabel Farrell, the 2014 GNAC Player of the Year. Junior forward Hannah Huesers led the league with 14 goals en route to 2015 GNAC Player of the Year acclaim.