• Complete Release (pdf)

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 –
Seattle Pacific at Simon Fraser
5:00 p.m. PDT, Terry Fox Field, Burnaby, B.C.
• Webcast:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4--9A9U2-4
• LiveStats:  https://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
 
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 –
Saint Martin's at Seattle Pacific
4:30.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
• Webcast:  https://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
• LiveStats:  www.sidearmstats.com/spu/wsoc/
 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 –
Northwest Nazarene at Seattle Pacific
4:00.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
• Webcast:  https://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
• LiveStats:  www.sidearmstats.com/spu/wsoc/
 
A four-game road trip ends and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference season begins on Saturday, Sept. 16 for the Seattle Pacific women's soccer team. The Falcons (2-2) visit Simon Fraser (2-2) for a 5 p.m. Pacific Time game at Terry Fox Field in Burnaby, B.C. That is this year's only encounter between SPU and the Clan. With the addition of a ninth team in 2015, the GNAC is not implementing a double round-robin schedule and the Falcons play four league foes just once (also Central Washington, Concordia and Montana State Billings). SPU then returns home for a two-game league set at Interbay Stadium, starting on Thursday, Sept. 21 at 4:30 p.m. against Saint Martin's (0-4). The Falcons won all 19 previous meetings versus the Saints. On Saturday, Sept. 23 Northwest Nazarene (3-2) visits for a 4 p.m. contest. SPU owns a 29-2 series lead over the Crusaders.  
 
Throw-Ins
All four Falcons games have been decided by one-goal margins ... Kasey Reeve leads the team with three goals, including both game-winning strikes ... SPU has been starting slow in games this season (outscored 5-1 in first halves), but finishing fast (outscoring foes 5-1 in second halves) ... Senior goalkeeper Molly Stinson made a school-record 106 saves in 2016 and her career total of 231 is 40 shy of Jennifer Hull's (2001-04) SPU record of 271 … Eleven players have either a goal or assist ... Maddy Booster tops the team with two assists ... Four players have made their Falcons debut this year: Sophia Chilczuk, Madison Ibale, Claire Neder and Kate Veenhuizen.
 
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.
 
Scouting Upcoming Opponents
Simon Fraser (2-2-0, 0-0-0 GNAC) -- The Clan became a GNAC member in 2010 as the first Canadian school to join the NCAA. Sophomore Emma Pringle accounted for four of SFU's seven goals this season after netting nine in 2016. Goalkeeper Priya Sandhu has one shutout and a 1.44 goals against average. The Falcons own an 11-0-2 series advantage, including two wins last year. SPU won 2-1 on Sept. 29 in Burnaby and 3-0 on Oct. 15 in Seattle.
 
Saint Martin's (0-4-0, 0-0-0 GNAC) -- The Saints lost their first four games heading into Saturday's (Sept. 16) final non-conference tilt at California Baptist. SMU has been outscored 13-1 with Shea McKnight getting the lone goal with a 90th-minute strike in the opener at Cal State Monterey Bay on Aug. 31.  SPU won all 19 previous meetings with the Saints and was a 4-0 victor on Sept. 22, 2016 in last season's only encounter.
 
Northwest Nazarene (3-2-0, 0-0-0 GNAC) -- The Crusaders won 2-1 at Holy Names (Calif.) to complete non-conference play with a 3-2 record. They are outscoring opponents 10-5 led by the three goals of Madi Taylor. The Crusaders defeated SPU 1-0 on Sept. 24, 2015 to halt a 27-game losing streak in the series and post their first win over the Falcons since their inaugural meeting in 2001. SPU still leads the all-time series by a 29-2 count, including a 3-0 win in last year's only matchup, on Sept. 17 in Nampa.

 

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 17-12-6 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.
 
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.