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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4
Seattle Pacific at (#18) Western Washington
7:00 p.m. PDT, Harrington Field, Bellingham, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6
Seattle Pacific at Montana State Billings
11:30 a.m. PDT (12:30 pm MDT), Yellowjacket Field, Billings, Mont.
 
• Webcast & LiveStats for both games:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
 
One of Seattle Pacific's shortest Great Northwest Athletic Conference road trips will be followed by its longest this week. The Falcons (7-2-1, 3-1-0 GNAC) make the 89-mile trek north to Bellingham on Thursday, Oct. 4 for a 7 p.m. clash with 18th-ranked Western Washington at Harrington Field. The Northwest rivals are tied for second in the league standings. The Vikings (8-2-0, 3-1-0) have not lost to SPU since a 1-0 decision on Oct. 27, 2012 in Bellingham, posting a 13-0-3 series record during that span. Seattle Pacific then embarks on a 818-mile journey for a Saturday, Oct. 6 game against Montana State Billings at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time (12:30 p.m. Mountain). SPU owns a 19-4-2 series lead and is unbeaten in its last six meetings with the Yellowjackets.
 
Clash of the Titlists
Both Seattle Pacific and Western Washington have captured an NCAA Division II women's soccer national championship. The Falcons claimed the 2008 crown, defeating West Florida 1-0 on a golden goal by Janae Godoy. Western won the 2016 title with a 3-2 victory over three-time defending champion, Grand Valley State.
 
Throw-Ins
Claire Neder earned a point in three of the last four games with two goals and an assist ... It has been feast or famine for the Falcons, who netted two or more goals in each of their seven victories, but were shut out in their other three outings ... Four of Sophia Chilczuk's team-leading seven goals, and 6 of her 11 career scores, were game-winning strikes ... Megan Moore (5) and Sydnee Smith (4) are battling for SPU's assist lead.
 
Get Your Tickets
Tickets for SPU soccer home games can now be purchased in advance online at: http://siteline.vendini.com/site/spufalcons.com
 
 

Fab Frosh
SPU's Riley Travis ranks 26th among NCAA Division II goalkeepers in save percentage, denying 86.5% of the shots she faces. The freshman shot stopper ranks No. 28 nationally with a 0.54 goals against average and has four clean sheets. Travis amassed a school single-game record 16 saves in the scoreless draw at Chico State on Sept. 6. The previous SPU standard of 13 saves was established by Molly Stinson on Oct. 29, 2016.
 
Last Week
Brooke Lancaster scored 53 seconds after halftime before Simon Fraser responded with two scores, including a 102nd-minute golden goal, to beat SPU 2-1 in Seattle (Sept. 27). That was the only time the Falcons conceded more than one goal this year. SPU rebounded with a 2-1 home win over Northwest Nazarene (Sept. 29). Claire Neder started the scoring in the 25th minute and Sophia Chilczuk got the game winner in the 79th.
 
2018 Preview
Eight starters return from last year's SPU team, including the top-three point producers. Forward Kasey Reeve paced the Falcons with 22 points on 10 goals and two assists. The All-West Region performer posted half (5) of the team's game-winning goals. Julia DeVere compiled 10 points on four goals and two assists. Sophia Chilczuk was honored as the GNAC Freshman of the Year after registering 11 points with four goals and three assists. The SPU midfield features sophomore Claire Neder, whose four assists topped the team in 2017. Senior Kaytlin Willis, an All-West Region defender, returns to anchor a back line that posted four shutouts and yielded just over one goal per game (1.09) in 2017. Also returning on the back line are Megan Nielsen and Asia Cayetano. Five of the xix SPU players that garnered 2017 All-GNAC honors are back. A replacement at goalkeeper if needed for Molly Stinson, who finished with a school-record 278 career saves.
 
Playoff Pursuit
Seattle Pacific seeks to ignite a new NCAA Division II Tournament streak after having its national-leading 14-year run halted in 2017. SPU qualified for the playoffs every season from 2003-2016. The Falcons won the 2008 national championship and advanced to the Final Four on three occasions (2005, 2007, 2008).
 
This Week's Opponents
Western Washington (8-2-0, 3-1-0 GNAC) -- The Vikings won their last four games after opening the GNAC slate with a 1-0 loss at Concordia. WWU outscores opponents 20-5, paced by the five goals of Dayana Diaz and four from Gabriela Pelogi. The Vikings shut out half (5) of their opponents led by two clean sheets from goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx, who boasts a 0.54 goals against average.  Travis Connell, a four-year SPU men's soccer letterman (1991-95), is in his 16th year and owns WWU's all-time mark with 228 coaching wins. The Falcons own a slim 18-17-6 edge in the all-time series despite not beating Western since Oct. 27, 2012, covering a span of 16 games during which WWU went 13-0-3. The Vikings swept all three meetings last year, including both regular-season matchups by similar 1-0 scorelines. The Vikings were 2-0 victors in the 2017 GNAC Tournament semifinals. Thursday marks this year's only regular-season meeting between SPU and Western.
 
Montana State Billings (4-4-1, 1-3-0 GNAC) -- The Yellowjackets beat Northwest Nazarene 2-1 in their last outing to half a three-game losing streak. Julia Keller tops MSUB with three goals while Claire Tevaseu has two goals and a team-high three assists. The goalkeeping tandem of Erinn Harder and Lili Delgadillo combined for two shutouts and a 1.73 goals against average. The Falcons, own a 19-4-2 series lead, outscoring Billings 52-14 all-time. SPU posted a 4-0-2 record in meetings since MSUB's last win in 2014.



Coach Busey
Arby Busey is in his 13th year on the Seattle Pacific staff and his fourth as head coach. In 2017, he directed the Falcons to a 10-7-0 record and third-place GNAC finish (8-4-0). He has a 32-19-7 record at SPU, a ledger that doesn't include 10 wins from 2015 that were vacated due to the use of an ineligible player. SPU advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs in Busey's first two seasons at the helm. He is the third coach in the 18-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.
 
Next Week
The SPU women return home for two games, entertaining league-leading Concordia (Ore.) on Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. and Western Oregon on Oct. 13 at 4 p.m.