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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 –
Seattle Pacific at Simon Fraser
4:30 p.m. PDT, Terry Fox Field, Burnaby, B.C.
• Webcast:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZTnVJcAx6M
• LiveStats:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
 
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4 –
Seattle Pacific at Central Washington
3:00 p.m. PDT, CWU Soccer Field, Ellensburg, Wash.
• Webcast & LiveStats:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
 
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6 –
Concordia at Seattle Pacific
4:30 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
• LiveStats:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/spu/wsoc/
 
A unusual schedule of three consecutive midweek league games await the Seattle Pacific women's soccer team, the first two coming on the road. The Falcons (5-2-1, 2-1-0 GNAC) travel north to Burnaby, B.C. to take on Simon Fraser (3-2-1, 1-1-0) on Thursday, Sept. 29 at 4:30 p.m. That is their first encounter in over a year and SPU has not lost in 11 all-time meetings versus the Clan. A rare Tuesday game is set for Oct. 4 in Ellensburg where the Falcons seek to avenge last Saturday's 1-0 home loss to Central Washington (6-2-0, 1-1-0). Neither team has won by more than one goal during the last eight meetings dating back through 2012, and the Falcons-Wildcats series is even at 3-3-2 during that span. SPU returns home to Interbay Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 6 for a 4:30 p.m. matchup with first-place and undefeated Concordia (7-0-1, 2-0-1). With a 3-1 win last season in Seattle, the Falcons became the only team to score more than one goal against the Cavaliers in 2015.
 
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 four 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 ranks No. 4 spot among all-time Falcons with 12 career game-winning goals, a list that is topped by the 21 game-winners of Sarah Martinez (2004-07). Huesers also ranks fourth among the school's career scoring leaders with 39 goals, 10 shy of the standard of 49 established by Martinez.
 
Throw-Ins
SPU amassed 10 goals in three previous games before being blanked 1-0 by Central Washington in its last outing (Sept. 24) ... A pair of Falcons netted their inaugural collegiate goal on Sept. 22 vs. Saint Martin's, junior Hannah Lemm and freshman Megan Moore, who scored twice ... Six of eight SPU games were tied or decided by one goal.
 
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.
 
Upcoming Opponents
Simon Fraser (3-2-1, 1-1-0 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, which was directed for the previous 25 years by Shelley Howieson. The Clan lost a hard-fought 1-0 decision to seventh-ranked Western Washington in their last outing (Sept. 24) after stunning Central Washington, 2-0 (Sept. 22). Emma Pringle accounted for four of SFU's five goals this season. Goalkeeper Priya Sandhu has four shutouts and a 0.80 goals against average. These teams haven't played each other since their only meeting last season resulted in a 0-0 tie on Sept. 19, 2015 in Seattle. The Falcons own a 9-0-2 series advantage.
 
Central Washington (6-2-0, 1-1-0 GNAC) -- The Wildcats got an 83rd-minute goal from Mackenzie Nolte to defeat SPU 1-0 on Sept. 24 in Seattle. Nolte and Keilin Farrand lead the CWU attack with two goals apiece. Goalkeeper Amanda White compiled four shutouts and a 0.75 goals against average. The teams drew 1-1 in last year's only encounter, on Oct. 22 in Ellensburg. SPU leads the all-time series 22-6-3.
 
Concordia (7-0-1, 2-0-1 GNAC) -- The first-place Cavaliers, from Portland, Oregon, are second-year members of the GNAC and the NCAA after previously competing in the NAIA. They are undefeated after winning their first seven games and tying 0-0 at Montana State Billings in their last outing (Sept. 24). Gabrielle Ewing and Kyra Radcliffe each have three goals for an offense that is outscoring opponents by a combined 19-4 margin. Goalkeeper Olivia Brock helped the team compile six clean sheets and a 0.49 goals against average. Brock has not surrendered a goal in 457 minutes.  SPU owns a 2-0 edge in the series, including a 3-1 decision on Oct. 8 in Seattle that was the only multi-goal game allowed by the Cavaliers in 2015. They met on Nov. 5 in the GNAC Tournament semifinal in Burnaby, B.C. and the Falcons were 1-0 victors on a golden goal by Isabel Farrell with 1:38 left in the final overtime.
 
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 19-7-3 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.