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2018 GNAC WOMEN'S SOCCER TOURNAMENT
Tuominen Yard / Portland, Oregon
 •Webcast & LiveStats:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/gnac/
 
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1 (semifinal games)
Game 1 -- (4) Simon Fraser vs. (1) Western Washington, 4:00 p.m. PDT
Game 2 -- (3) Seattle Pacific vs. (2) Concordia, 7:00 p.m. PDT
 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3 (championship game)
Game 3 -- Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 3:30 p.m. PDT
 
Seattle Pacific begins pursuit of a third Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament championship this week at Tuominen Yard in Portland, Ore. The opening-round foe for the third-seeded Falcons (12-4-2) is host, 17th-ranked and No. 2 seed Concordia (12-1-3) in a rematch of their 1-1 double-overtime draw Saturday at the same venue. The semifinal contest takes place on Thursday, Nov. 1. Kick-off is 7 p.m. following top-seeded Western Washington (15-2-1) versus No. 4 Simon Fraser (10-5-1) at 4 p.m. in the opener. Thursday's semifinal winners square off in the GNAC championship game on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 3:30 p.m. The winner gets the league's automatic berth into the NCAA playoffs. SPU has won two GNAC titles (2013, 2014) and WWU won the other four (2012, 2015-17).
 
GNAC Tourney Tidbit
Seattle Pacific and Western Washington are the only two teams to participate every year since the conference began hosting the GNAC Tournament in 2012.
 
Year    Championship Game Result  (Tournament Venue)
2012     Western Washington 2, MSU Billings 0  (Tukwila, WA), SPU 1-0 semifinal loss to MSUB
2013     Seattle Pacific 1, Western Washington 1 -- SPU 4-1 PK tiebreaker  (Tukwila, WA)
2014     Seattle Pacific 1, Western Washington 1 -- SPU 5-4 PK tiebreaker  (Tukwila, WA)
2015     Western Washington 3, Seattle Pacific 1  (Burnaby, BC)
2016     Western Washington 3, Seattle Pacific 1  (Bellingham, WA)
2017     Western Washington 1, Concordia 0 -- 2ot  (Portland, OR), SPU 2-0 semifinal loss to WWU
 
About Seattle Pacific (12-4-2, 8-3-1 GNAC)
Third-seeded SPU is undefeated in its last five games with four consecutive wins followed by Saturday's 1-1 draw at Concordia. The Falcons feature GNAC Defensive Player of the Year Julia DeVere, a senior outside right back who leads the team with seven assists and has four goals. She is a two-time GNAC Defender of the Week. Senior forward Kasey Reeve has six goals to her credit, fueling an SPU attack that outscores opponents 38-15. A second-team All-GNAC pick, junior midfielder Megan Moore, compiled two goals and six assists. The Falcons defense surrenders less than one goal per game (0.81 GAA), backed by freshman goalkeeper Riley Travis, a second-team All-GNAC honoree. Travis made a school-record 16 saves in her second collegiate start, Sept. 6 at Chico State. SPU will be without leading scorer Sophia Chilczuk (8 goals/3 assists), a first-team all-conference selection and the 2017 Freshman of the Year. She injured her leg in a collision with the Concordia goalkeeper on Oct. 27.
 
Throw-Ins
It has been feast or famine for the Falcons, who netted at least two goals in each of their 12 wins, but were shut out in four outings and held to one goal in two others ...  ... The Falcons posted a 1-1-2 record in four overtime contests this year ... Four players have started all 18 SPU games, defenders Julia DeVere, Asia Cayetano and Megan Nielsen along with midfielder Sydnee Smith ... Fourteen different Falcons netted at least one goal.
 


Playoff Pursuit
Seattle Pacific seeks to ignite a new NCAA Division II Tournament streak after having its national-leading 14-year run halted last year. 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).
 
The 2018 GNAC Tournament Field
No. 2 seed Concordia (12-1-3, 9-1-2 GNAC) -- The 17th-ranked Cavaliers finished second in the GNAC standings. Saturday's 1-1 draw with SPU spoiled the Cavaliers chance to tie for the regular-season crown.  They are out-scoring opponents 32-9 led by seven goals apiece from Kyra Radcliffe and Gabrielle Ewing. Goalkeeper Rose Hauser has a 0.79 goals against average while participating in three of the team's nine shutouts. SPU owns a slim 3-2-2 edge in the all-time series, but is winless in the last three meetings. The Falcons were blanked 1-0 by Hauser on Oct. 11 in Seattle and Gabrielle Ewing got the CU game-winner in the 62nd minute. A 25-yard strike to the upper left corner by Julia DeVere evened the score in the 79th minute of Saturday's (Oct. 27) 1-1 double-overtime tie in Portland. They meet again five days later.
 
No. 1 seed Western Washington (15-2-1, 10-1-1 GNAC) -- The sixth-ranked Vikings won the GNAC regular-season title and forward Dayana Diaz is the league's Freshman of the Year. Western won its last six games and is undefeated in the last 12 outings. WWU outscores opponents 37-8, paced by seven goals each from Diaz and Gabriela Pelogi. The Vikings blanked more than half (10) of their opponents led by six clean sheets from goalkeeper Natalie Dierickx, who boasts a 0.41 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 235 coaching wins. The all-time series is tied 18-18-6 despite the Falcons not beating Western since Oct. 27, 2012, covering a span of 17 games during which WWU went 14-0-3. The Vikings won this season's only previous encounter, 4-0, on Oct. 4 in Bellingham.
 
No. 4 seed Simon Fraser (10-5-1, 8-3-1 GNAC) -- The Clan tied SPU for third in the GNAC standings, but were relegated to the fourth seed based on the away goals tiebreaker (3-2). SFU's Annie Hamel is the 2018 GNAC Coach of the Year and the Player of the Year is senior midfielder Jenna-lee Baxter, who led the team with 11 goals and 10 assists. Emma Pringle also netted 11 goals.  Goalkeeper Nicole Anderson has five clean sheets and a 0.84 goals against average. The Falcons own a 13-1-2 advantage in the all-time series, the lone loss a 2-1 overtime setback on Sept. 27 in Seattle on a 102nd-minute golden goal by Gabrielle Brissette. SPU won the rematch 3-2 on Oct. 18 in Burnaby, B.C. behind a 93rd-minute golden goal by Kasey Reeve.
 
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 37-21-8 record at SPU, a ledger that doesn't include 10 wins from 2015 that were vacated. SPU participated in the NCAA Tournament in Busey's first two seasons at the helm.