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THURSDAY, AUGUST 30
Cal Poly Pomona at Seattle Pacific
7:00 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
• Webcast:  https://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/ 
• LiveStats:  www.sidearmstats.com/spu/wsoc/
 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
Minnesota State Moorhead at Seattle Pacific
1:00 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
(Halftime ceremony to honor 2008 National Championship team)
• Webcast:  https://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/ 
• LiveStats:  www.sidearmstats.com/spu/wsoc/
 
The 2018 Seattle Pacific women's soccer campaign kicks off at home this week and the Falcons will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their national championship squad. SPU hosts Cal Poly Pomona on Thursday, Aug. 30 in the season opener for both teams. The Falcons seek to avenge a 2-1 overtime loss last year in Pomona on a 95th-minute golden goal. Kick-off is 7 p.m. at Interbay Stadium where the Falcons entertain Minnesota State Moorhead on Sept. 1. At halftime of Saturday's 1 p.m. contest, the 2008 title team will be recognized.  SPU and MSU Moorhead have never met in women's soccer. The Falcons women hit the road next week for games at Chico State (Sept. 6) and San Francisco State (Sept. 8). Great Northwest Athletic Conference play starts at Saint Martin's on Sept. 20.
 
 

Championship Celebration
Ten years ago Seattle Pacific reached the pinnacle of NCAA Division II women's soccer by winning the national title. Janae Godoy's golden goal with 2-minutes, 13-seconds left in the final overtime lifted the Falcons over previously undefeated West Florida, 1-0, on Dec. 6, 2008 in Tampa, Fla. Members of that championship team, which finished with a 22-1-2 record and featured National Player of the Year Meredith Teague, will be honored during a halftime ceremony at Saturday's game.
 
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 $5 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. Beginning with the Sept. 11 game, tickets for SPU athletic home events can be purchased in advance online at: http://siteline.vendini.com/site/spufalcons.com

 Season Openers
Seattle Pacific begins its 18th year of women's soccer competition with a 13-2-2 record in season-opening games. The Falcons were 3-2 home victors over Chico State in the 2017 opener behind an 88th-minute golden goal from Kasey Reeve. SPU emerged victorious in its last four season-opening contests.
 
Notable
• Of the 30 goals scored last year by Falcons, 26 were netted by players that return to compete this season.
 
2018 Preview
Eight starters return from last year's SPU team, including the top-three point producers. Senior forward Kasey Reeve paced SPU 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 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. She started all 17 contests last season alongside Megan Nielsen and Asia Cayetano. Six SPU players garnered 2017 All-GNAC honors and five of them are back. The void left by four-year starting goalkeeper Molly Stinson needs to be filled. She departed after registering 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
Cal Poly Pomona (10-6-2 in 2017) -- Coach Jay Mason begins his third season with the Broncos after posting a 10-6-2 record in 2017. Five starters return, led by All-CCAA defenders Natalie Di Angelo and Amanda Duran, the top returning scorer with five goals. Pomona surrendered less than one goal per game (0.94) last year en route to a fourth consecutive CCAA Tournament appearance. SPU won the first two meetings in the series, 4-0 at home in 2004 and 5-0 at Pomona in 2005. The Broncos won the third meeting 2-1 in overtime at home last season (Sept. 12) behind a 95th-minute golden goal from Di Angelo assisted by Samantha Putnam.
 
Minnesota State Moorhead (1-13-3 in 2017) -- The Dragons return eight starters, four of them who opened every game in 2017. Jessica Dallman is back after compiling a team-leading three goals and two assists last season. The MSUM roster features four players from areas surrounding Seattle: Jennifer Barnes (Kent/Kentlake HS), Kylee Billings (Monroe HS), Lindsey Brownell (Fall City/Mt. Si HS) and Kayleigh Sedlacek (Bothell/Jackson HS). SPU and Moorhead have never before met in women's soccer.
 
2017 Review
The Falcons fashioned a 10-7-0 record in 2017, tying for third with an 8-4-0 GNAC mark. Seven wins came by one-goal margins, three of them overtime victories. SPU's season ended with a 2-0 semifinal loss to Western Washington in the GNAC Tournament, stopping SPU's national-leading 14-year NCAA Tournament streak. Sophia Chilczuk was named the GNAC Freshman of the Year while leading scorer Kasey Reeve (10 goals) and defender Kaytlin Willis were All-West Region honorees.
 
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 25-17-6 record at SPU, a ledger that doesn't include 10 wins from 2015 that were vacated due to the use of an ineligible player. 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.