• Complete Release (pdf)   |   • VIDEO: Coach Arby  Busey

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31 –
Chico State at Seattle Pacific
4:30 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
• Webcast:  https://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
• LiveStats:  www.sidearmstats.com/spu/wsoc/
 
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 –
Seattle Pacific at Metro State
2:00.m. PDT, Regency Athletic Complex, Denver, Colo.
 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 –
Seattle Pacific at UC Colorado Springs
12:00.m. PDT, Mountain Lion Stadium, Colorado Springs, Colo.
 • LiveStats:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/uccs/wsoc/
 
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 –
Seattle Pacific at Cal Poly Pomona
7:00 p.m. PDT, Kellogg Field, Pomona, Calif.
 
The 2017 Seattle Pacific women's soccer team begins the season with a single home game before embarking on a four-game road trip. The Falcons, who lost just once in their last 14 season openers (12-1-1), host Chico State on Thursday, Aug. 31. Kick-off is 4:30 p.m. at Interbay Stadium to start a doubleheader with the SPU men who play at 7 p.m. The Falcons women then hit the road for two games in Colorado, Sept. 7 at Metro State and Sept. 9 at UC Colorado Springs. They close out the non-conference slate at Cal Poly Pomona on Sept. 12 before beginning Great Northwest Athletic Conference play at Simon Fraser on Sept. 16.
 
Season Openers
Seattle Pacific begins its 17th year of women's soccer competition with a 12-2-2 record in season-opening games. The Falcons were 1-0 overtime victors over Humboldt State in the 2016 opener behind a 109th-minute golden goal from Maddie Krauss.
 
Get Your Tickets
Tickets for SPU soccer games can be purchased on game day at Interbay Stadium (3027 17th Ave. W., Seattle 98119). Ticket windows open one hour prior to kickoff. All seats are general admission and priced at $7 for adults and $4 for students and senior citizens. SPU students and staff are admitted free. Groups or teams of 10 or more may qualify for reduced ticket rates by calling (206) 281-2393 in advance.
 


Home Webcasts
For the first time SPU will stream live webcasts of its home games. They can be viewed live, or soon after games in the archives, at -- http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu  LiveStats are available at -- www.sidearmstats.com/spu/wsoc
 
Playoff Pursuit
Seattle Pacific seeks to return to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the 15th straight year. The Falcons won the 2008 national championship and advanced to the Final Four on three occasions (2005, 2007, 2008).Their current run of 14 consecutive playoff 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.
 
2017 Preview
Six starters return from last year's playoff team, including goalkeeper Molly Stinson. The senior shot-stopper set a school single-season record with 106 saves in 2016 while compiling a fine 0.96 goals against average. A trio of defensive starters return to the back line that recorded nine shutouts; Kaytlin Willis, Maddie Sjothun and Asia Cayetano. SPU outscored opponents 31-20 last season, but just 11 of those goals return and the Falcons lost their top-two scorers, Hannah Huesers (13) and Maddie Krauss (4). Heading the list of SPU's offensive returnees is junior midfielder Brooke Lancaster, who contributed two goals and three assists in 2016. Also netting a pair of goals last year were returnees Megan Moore, Kasey Reeve and Julia DeVere. Senior Simone Herzberg is back in her midfield post after topping the team with four assists.
 
 

2016 Review
The Falcons fashioned an 11-5-4 overall record in 2016 and placed third in the GNAC with a 7-2-3 mark. They advanced to the GNAC Tournament championship game for the fourth straight season before losing 3-1 to eventual national champion Western Washington. SPU participated in the postseason for the 14th straight season, falling 2-1 in the first round to Central Washington. Graduated forward Hannah Huesers netted 13 goals to lead all GNAC scorers for the third straight season.
 
Upcoming Opponents
Chico State (8-7-2 in 2016) -- The Wildcats return seven starters, including Korie Bozart who had three goals and three assists. Pooja Patel had two goals and three assists following a nine-goal, eight-assist All-America campaign in 2015. In her 17th season at Chico, and 23rd at an NCAA school, Kim Sutton boasts 216 career coaching victories. The Falcons own a 9-2-3 series advantage, but lost 1-0 on Sept. 7, 2016 at Chico.
 
Metro State (8-6-4 in 2016) -- Located in Denver, Colorado, Metro State won women's Division II soccer titles in 2004 and 2006. The Roadrunners' Elise Boisnard returns after leading the team with 22 points on six goals and 10 assists. The senior midfielder was named first team All-RMAC in 2016. SPU leads the series 1-0-2. The two teams officially tied 0-0 in their first encounter, an NCAA quarterfinal game in 2005 in which the Falcons advanced to the semifinals via a 5-4 edge in the penalty kick tiebreaker. They clashed in the 2008 NCAA semifinals and SPU won 3-1 in Tampa, Fla. en route to the national championship. SPU and Metro tied 1-1 last season in Seattle.
 
UC Colorado Springs (3-12-1 in 2016) -- Sian Hudson takes over the coaching reigns of the Mountain Lions after serving the past two seasons as an assistant at Colorado College. UCCS features senior Grace Ramsden, who was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year. She amassed 87 saves (5.8 per game) last season. SPU and UC Colorado Springs have never before met in women's soccer.
 
Cal Poly Pomona (7-7-3 in 2016) -- Coach Jay Mason begins his second season with the Broncos after posting a 7-7-3 record in 2016. A veteran Pomona defense is backed by senior goalkeeper Ricki Ives, who compiled five shutouts and a 1.06 goals against average while playing every minute last season. SPU won both previous matchups by a combined 9-0 score. The Falcons were 4-0 victors at home in 2004 before winning the most recent meeting 5-0 on Sept. 7, 2005 in Pomona.
 
Coach Busey
Arby Busey is in his 12th year on the Seattle Pacific staff and his third as head coach. In 2016, he directed the Falcons to an 11-5-4 record, third-place GNAC finish (7-2-3) and GNAC Tournament finals berth. SPU advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs for the 14th consecutive season. Busey has a 15-10-6 record at SPU, a ledger that doesn't include 10 wins from 2015 that were vacated due to the use of an ineligible player. He is the third coach in the 17-year history of the program, including 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 where he had an 8-40-7 record.