• FINAL STATS

NAMPA, Idaho – Madi Taylor took advantage of a Seattle Pacific defensive miscue to score a golden goal 54 seconds into overtime Saturday, lifting the Northwest Nazarene women to a 1-0 Great Northwest Athletic Conference win at NNU Soccer Field.
 
The Falcons (6-5-0) saw their league ledger fall to 4-3-0 after suffering a second straight 1-0 setback. They lost by that same score on the road Thursday against defending national champion, Western Washington.
 
SPU's Molly Stinson booted a goal kick to a teammate just outside the box on the left side and the defender tried to immediately return the ball to the goalkeeper. Taylor intercepted the errant back pass and beat Stinson on the dribble to the center of the box before delivering a 13-yard shot into the open goal at 90:54.
 
That was the team-leading sixth goal of the season for Taylor, but just her first game-winning strike.
 
The Crusaders (8-4-1) improved to 5-2-1 in GNAC games and avenged a 1-0 loss in Seattle on Sept. 30. NNU notched its third victory in 33 all-time meetings versus SPU.
 
The road-weary Falcons have played eight of their 11 games away from home. The extensive travel schedule has taken a toll, according to Coach Arby Busey.
 
"We were good early and then just kind of faded as the game went on. Fatigue set in and became something that was difficult for us to overcome.
 
"The effort was there, but our minds and some of the decisions that we made could have been a little bit sharper. That stuff is going to go when you are as tired as we are at this point."
 
Neither team generated any close chances in the first half during which SPU compiled a 5-2 shot advantage. The Falcons put two directly on goal, but both were handled by routine catches from Daniele Ortiz.
 
The Falcons' finest attempt came in the 19th minute when Brooke Lancaster (Sumner HS) spun and fired a 17-yard shot just over the crossbar.
 
NNU posted a slim 5-3 shot edge in the second half and had the only two overtime attempts. A shot by Hannah Holm 43 seconds into overtime sailed high and set up the decisive goal kick.
 
"They are organized defensively and are much more difficult to break down than they have been in the past," Busey said of the Crusaders defense. "They make life hard for opponents to create quality chances. That certainly was the case that we found ourselves in today."

 

Stinson (Woodinville HS) denied a dangerous opportunity with a brilliant save near the end of regulation. NNU's Nicolette Clark dribbled into the right side of the box and drove a low blast toward the near post that Stinson dove to deflect in the 87th minute.
 
"Molly's the rock that we lean on back there," said Busey. "We know that she's going to have work to do and that she's going to come through and get it done for us. It's a bit of a broken record, but she was really good again today."
 
Ortiz stopped four shots for the Crusaders and Stinson matched that with four saves for SPU, which was outshot 9-8.
 
The Falcons senior shot-stopper is averaging 4.4 saves per game and is on pace to eclipse the school's career record. Stinson's 260 saves are 11 shy of the SPU career standard of 271 established by Jennifer Hull from 2001-04.
 
The SPU women return to Seattle briefly to entertain Central Washington on Thursday for a 7 p.m. game at Interbay Stadium. They have played just three home games this season scattered among a pair of four-game road trips.
 
"It will be great to be back home a try to settle in to more of a routine," Busey explained. "The thing with being on the road is you are doing school work in odd places and trying to get stuff done. Just being at home to be able to homework in places that we are comfortable gets them a little bit back into their routine and a bit more settled.
 
"It will be very nice to be playing in our stadium again here down the stretch run."
 
The Falcons visit Saint Martin's next Saturday, Oct. 14, at 1 p.m. in the final road game before hosting three straight home contests to close out the regular season.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER
Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017
NNU Soccer Field / Nampa, Idaho
 
at Northwest Nazarene 1, Seattle Pacific 0 (ot)
 
Scoring – 1, NNU, Madi Taylor, 90:54.
 
                       1   2  OT -- TOTAL
Seattle Pacific        0   0   0 --   0
Northwest Nazarene     0   0   1 --   1
 
Shots – SPU 8, NNU 9.
Shots on Goal – SPU 4, NNU 5.
Saves – SPU 4 (Molly Stinson), NNU 4 (Daniele Ortiz).
Corner kicks – SPU 1, NNU 6.
Fouls – SPU 7, NNU 12.
Offsides – SPU 2, NNU 3.
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 6-5-0, 4-3-0 GNAC
Northwest Nazarene 8-4-1, 5-2-1 GNAC
 
Next SPU Women's Soccer Game
Central Washington at Seattle Pacific
Thursday, Oct. 12, 7:00 p.m. PDT
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.