• Complete Release (pdf)
        • VIDEO: Julia  DeVere

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 –
Seattle Pacific vs. Humboldt State
4:00 p.m. PDT, Tuominen Yard, Portland, Ore.
 • Webcast & LiveStats:  https://portal.stretchinternet.com/cuportland/
 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 –
Seattle Pacific vs. Dixie State
11:00 a.m. PDT, Tuominen Yard, Portland, Ore.
 • Webcast & LiveStats:  https://portal.stretchinternet.com/cuportland/
 
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 –
Seattle Pacific at Chico State
7:00 p.m. PDT, University Soccer Stadium, Chico, Calif.
• Webcast:  https://portal.stretchinternet.com/chico/  (there may not be a webcast)
• LiveStats:  www.sidearmstats.com/csuchico/wsoc/
 
A three-game road trip kicks off the 2016 Seattle Pacific women's soccer season. The Falcons visit Portland, Oregon for a pair of neutral-site contests hosted by Concordia. For the second straight season, they open against Humboldt State with a Thursday, Sept. 1 clash. Kick-off is 4 p.m. at Tuominen Yard where SPU meets Dixie State on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 11 a.m. The road swing concludes on Wednesday, Sept. 7 with a 7 p.m. contest at Chico State.  The Falcons then return home to close out the non-conference portion of the schedule at Interbay Stadium. They entertain Metro State on Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. and then host Cal State East Bay on Sept. 12 at noon. GNAC play begins on Sept. 17 at Northwest Nazarene.
 
Season Openers
Seattle Pacific begins its 16th year of women's soccer competition with an 11-2-2 record in season-opening games. The Falcons were 2-0 home victors over Humboldt State in the 2015 opener behind goals from Hannah Huesers and Laura Moore.


 
Playoff Pursuit
Seattle Pacific seeks to return to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the 14th straight year. The Falcons won the 2008 national championship. Last season they reached the West Region semifinal before losing 1-0 at Western Washington. SPU advanced to the Final Four on three occasions (2005, 2007, 2008).
 
Throw-In
The Falcons run of 13 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances is tied for the longest active streak among Division II women's soccer teams. West Chester has also a participated in the playoffs every season since 2003.
 
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. The Falcons registered a 14-5-2 overall record last year and placed third in the conference standings with a 7-3-2 mark before advancing to the GNAC Tournament championship game. They opened the playoffs with a 2-1 victory over UC San Diego before falling 1-0 in the West Regional semifinal at Western Washington. Heading the list of returnees is senior forward Hannah Huesers, the 2015 GNAC 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.

 

2015 Review
The Falcons fashioned a 14-5-2 overall record in 2015 and placed third in the GNAC 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.
 
This Week's Opponents
Humboldt State (9-7-2, 5-5-2 CCAA in 2015) -- Coach Paul Karver saw the Lumberjacks' record improve in each of his first three seasons, capped by a 9-7-2 mark in 2015 that marked their best season since 2008. All-California Collegiate Athletic Association selection Bridget Daley returns after netting a team-high seven goals as a freshman. SPU owns a 12-1-1 series advantage and has not lost to the Lumberjacks since 2002. The Falcons won the last meeting 2-0 on Sept. 3, 2015 in Seattle.
 
Dixie State (11-6-0, 9-4-0 PacWest in 2015) -- Coach Kacey Bingham begins her fourth season with the Trailblazers and returns six starters who accounted for nearly half of the team's goal-scoring in 2015. Junior forward Darian McCloy is back after leading the team with seven goals last year.  On defense, DSU returns four starters who helped blank four opponents in 2015. SPU won all three previous meetings, beating the 'Blazers 3-0 in Seattle in 2002, 2-1 in a 2006 neutral site contest in Phoenix and 3-0 in Seattle in 2013.
 
Chico State (12-5-2, 8-3-1 CCAA in 2015) -- The Wildcats return nine starters from a team that placed second in the CCAA and recorded a 12-5-2 overall record to narrowly miss an NCAA berth. In her 16th season at Chico, and 22nd at an NCAA school, Kim Sutton boasts 208 collegiate coaching victories. The Chico attack features a potent one-two punch that produced 18 goals and 15 assists. 2015 CCA Offensive Player of the Year Pooja Patel compiled a team-leading nine goals and eight assists while Lindsey Dias had nine goals and seven assists. SPU was unbeaten in 11 all-time meetings before the Wildcats stopped that streak with a 1-0 decision on Sept. 10, 2014 in Chico, Calif. The Falcons still own a 9-1-3 series advantage after winning 1-0 on Sept. 5, 2015 in Seattle behind a game-deciding goal in the second minute by then-freshman midfielder Brooke Lancaster.

 

Coach Arby  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 14-5-2 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 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.