• FINAL STATS   |   • VIDEO: Senior Ceremony
• VIDEO: Mickayla  Mury & Makayla  Sonstelie
• PHOTO GALLERY

SEATTLE – Seattle Pacific's nine seniors were honored during a pre-game ceremony and they combined for three goals, two assists and a clean sheet Saturday during the women's soccer contest en route to a 4-0 victory over Montana State Billings that secured a spot in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament.
 
Those senior Falcons were making their second-to-last home playing appearance at Interbay Stadium and were feted for the game designated as Senior Day.
 
SPU got two goals in each half, the first two from seniors Makayla Sonstelie and Kaytlin Willis. Ten minutes after halftime, Mickayla Mury made it three consecutive goals by a senior and freshman Abbie Anderson capped the scoring with 14 minutes left to play.
 
Two other SPU seniors, Brooke Lancaster and Julia DeVere, also go on the scoresheet with assists while their classmate, goalkeeper Abby Smith, played all 90 minutes to post the shutout. Every player from the nine-woman senior class appeared in the starting lineup.
 
"You hope for and dream of Senior Day being like that," exclaimed SPU coach Arby Busey. "We gave them the opportunity together to go out and set the tone. They were amazing again today.
 
"It was easy for the rest of us to just fall right in line behind them and follow their lead because they are amazing women, amazing leaders and they were amazing players today, so it was a lot of fun."

 

SPU (11-4-1) posted its third straight win, improving its league record to 7-3-0. The Falcons are currently fourth in the conference standings, seven points ahead of fifth-place Central Washington.
 
The four-team conference playoff field is set and SPU will be joined by Concordia (Ore.), Western Washington and Simon Fraser. The GNAC semifinals are set for Nov. 1 in Portland, Ore. and the championship game is Nov. 3.
 
Lili Delgadillo made seven saves for the Yellowjackets (4-10-1), who fell to 1-9-0 in GNAC play with their sixth consecutive loss. They were kept off the scoreboard for the fourth straight game.
 
Billings was on the short end of a 25-6 shot count Saturday and put just one shot directly on goal. That 32nd-minute header by Amanda Hemmen, off a corner kick from Claire Tevaseu, was gathered by Smith.
 
That was the only save required of the SPU goalkeeper, who picked up her third shutout in four starts this season.
 
The Falcons controlled the early action and attempted the game's first four shots. The fourth hit paydirt at 16:13 off the head of Sonstelie. Lancaster sent a pass up the left sideline to Megan Nielsen who dribbled toward the end line before serving a cross into the center of the box. Sonstelie nodded it in from seven yards out for third goal of the year.
 
Sonstelie created the second goal opportunity at 22:49, getting fouled at the right edge of the 18-yard box by MSUB defender Thea Hjaltadottir. Willis stepped to the 12-yard spot and blasted a penalty kick high into the goal for her second score of the season.
 
SPU had several quality chances to extend that 2-0 lead before halftime, but Delgadillo denied three of them.
 
Sophia Chilczuk sent a hard shot toward right post that was grabbed with diving save by the Billings goalkeeper in the 31st minute. Five minutes later Abby Despain had a one-touch try from close range deflected over the goal.
 
In the 38th minute Sierra Smith had a 16-yard shot on a breakaway blocked with a reaction save from the onrushing goalkeeper.
 
Another stellar serve, this one by DeVere, found a Falcons head at 55:29. The cross form the right flank came to Mury, who hung in the air to direct a six-yard header over the keeper and inside the near post for her third goal.

 

Frequent contributions from seniors has a recurring theme for the Falcons, who had two team up for a golden goal in Thursday's 3-2 victory at Simon Fraser. Kasey Reeve scored off a pass from Sydnee Smith.
 
"They've been doing it all year. We got a senior-to-senior golden goal Thursday night," Busey said. "They're a group that we've been relying on. They have come through time and time again and today was no different.
 
"It's nice that we got to celebrate the seniors today and put them up on a pedestal a little bit. They've been clutch and been coming through for us throughout the course of their four years."
 
A pair of Falcons freshman put an end to the seniors' scoring monopoly. A long cross from the left flank by Makena Rietz carried over traffic in the box and found Anderson on the right side. She looped an eight-yard shot over the goalkeeper that just cleared the underside of the crossbar at 75:44 for her first collegiate goal.
 
Seniors Reeve, Sydnee Smith and Emma Young also started for the Falcons.
 
The SPU women host their final home game on Tuesday when GNAC rival Central Washington visits for a 7 p.m. contest at Interbay Stadium. They conclude the regular-season slate on Oct 27 at 4 p.m. at sixth-ranked Concordia-Portland.
 
Busey isn't concerned about complacency heading into Tuesday game, despite a matchup with a top-10 opponent and the playoffs approaching.
 
"They've been great all year long at keeping a pretty narrow focus in terms of the next opponent. But if we sleep on Central Washington it's going to be a long night for us on Tuesday. We know we're going to have our hands full there. (Coach) Michael (Farrand) does a great job and they always are somebody that gives us a great game.
 
"So we've got to stay focused on that one. We want to be in a good place going into the postseason that we qualified for so both these last two opportunities give us a chance to grow, improve and fine tune some things going into the postseason."
 

 
NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER
Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.
 
at Seattle Pacific 4, Montana State Billings 0
 
Scoring – 1, SPU, Makayla Sonstelie (Megan Nielsen, Brooke Lancaster), 16:13; 2, SPU, Kaytlin Willis (PK), 22:49; 3, SPU, Mickayla Mury (Julia DeVere), 55:29; 4, SPU, Abbie Anderson (Makena Rietz), 75:44.
 
                          1   2  --  TOTAL
Montana State Billings    0   0  --    0
Seattle Pacific           2   2  --    4
 
Shots – MSUB 25, SPU 6.
Shots on Goal – MSUB 1, SPU 11.
Saves – MSUB 7 (Lilli Delgadillo), SPU 1 (Abby Smith).
Corner kicks – MSUB 2, SPU 4.
Fouls – MSUB 10, SPU 12.
Offsides – MSUB 0, SPU 3.
 
Records
Montana State Billings 4-10-1, 1-9-0 GNAC
Seattle Pacific 11-4-1, 7-3-0 GNAC
 
 
Next SPU Women's Soccer Game
Central Washington at Seattle Pacific
Tuesday, Oct. 23, 7:00 p.m. PDT
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.