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LACEY, Wash. – A pair of goals early in each half from Sophia Chilczuk sparked Seattle Pacific to a 4-0 win over Saint Martin's in the Falcons' GNAC opener on Thursday at SMU Soccer Complex.
 
Claire Neder and Sierra Smith each came off the bench to tally in the final seven minutes for SPU (5-1-1), which bounced back from a scoreless loss at Biola with a scoring season-high on 23 shots.
 
"It's good to get off on a good foot here to start conference," said Falcons coach Arby Busey. "We play in a tough conference and road games are always tricky. To get a shutout and score some goals today was awesome."
 
After a 4-1-0 start, the Saints (4-3-0) have now lost two in a row, both of them GNAC games, while allowing 10 goals.
 
Riley Travis made four routine saves to earn her third and the team's fifth shutout. Seattle Pacific has allowed just two goals all season.
 
"We were pretty good defensively," Busey said. "We were mixing and matching bodies in there today a bit, trying to get some guys that have been injured a little time and the guys that are nicked up a little bit of rest.
 
"Mixing and matching can cause things to get out of rhythm and they did a good job as we moved them in and out of staying consistent and keeping the goal locked up. There were a few moments late, but we made plays and kept them at bay."

 

After being blanked in their previous outing at Biola, SPU started fast. The Falcons began attacking through the left flank and found success in the fifth minute. Dribbling toward goal and 30 yards out, Julia DeVere spotted Chilczuk on a diagonal run from the left, and the sophomore scored to the upper right corner from 15 yards.
 
The best opportunities to build on that lead came in the 15th minute. First, Chilczuk just missed the upper right corner from distance, then Kasey Reeve's two rebound attempts were saved and blocked, respectively, at close range.
 
The Saints began to find their way back into the game after the first half-hour, with SPU substituting all 10 starters in the field. Still, the visitors were dominating, with an 11-2 advantage in shots and 6-0 in corners.
 
In the opening seconds of the second period, Reeve tested SMU keeper Ali Koehler with a low drive from the top of the box.
 
Like her opening goal, Chilczuk's second came just over four minutes after the restart. Driving to the right corner, Megan Moore cut the ball to the near post, finding Chilczuk, who turned and fired left-footed from 8 yards. With a team-high six goals, Chilczuk has already surpassed her freshman total of four.
 
The 2017 GNAC Freshman of the Year, Chilczuk compiled five goals during the last four outings.
 
"That's what happens when good scorers get going," Busey said. "The goal starts to look massive and that's the way it's been for Sophia these last couple weeks."
 
A junior midfielder, Moore was credited with her team-leading fifth assist on the Falcons second goal.
 
Neder split two defenders and slotted the ball past Koehler with 6:14 remaining to make it 3-0.
 
"Claire scores a ton of goals in practice. She's got really good feet and is able to dribble and create opportunities for herself," Busey described. "That's what we saw in her finish was her beating a defender, putting herself in a spot and then just firing it past the goalkeeper."

 

Smith applied the finishing touch on the fourth goal with 3:27 to go, assisted by Mickayla Mury. The sophomore forward sat out last season while recovering from an injury.
 
"She had to sit out last year with an injury, but she was a big-time goal scorer as a youth player," said Busey. "I'm super happy for her. She was pressing at times in previous games, really working hard to get to try to get her first one. And sometimes that first one is the hardest one to get.
 
"We're hoping that all the hard work she did last year to get back, and getting rewarded for it today, is just the start of something really special."
 
Saint Martin's nearly got on the board in the 88th minute, but Natalie Brown hit the crossbar from 10 yards.
 
The Falcons remain perfect against the Saints, winning the 22nd straight meeting.
 
Seattle Pacific completes a stretch of three consecutive road games Saturday afternoon at Central Washington. The Falcons host Simon Fraser on Sept. 27 at 5 p.m.
 
NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER
Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018
SMU Soccer Complex / Lacey, Wash.
 
Seattle Pacific 4, at Saint Martin's 0
 
Scoring – 1, SPU, Sophia Chilczuk (Julia DeVere) 4:22; 2, SPU, Chilczuk (Megan Moore) 59:10; 3, SPU, Claire Neder (unassisted) 83:46; 4, SPU, Sierra Smith (Mickayla Mury) 86:33.
 
                     1   2  -- Total
Seattle Pacific      1   3  --   4
Saint Martin's       0   0  --   0
 
Shots – SPU 23, SMU 10.
Shots on Goal – SPU 9, SMU 4.
Saves – SPU 4 (Riley Travis), SMU 5 (Ali Koehler).
Corner kicks – SPU 7, SMU 2.
Fouls – SPU 2, SMU 6.
Offsides – SPU 5, SMU 0.
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 5-1-1, 1-0-0 GNAC
Saint Martin's 4-3-0, 0-2-0 GNAC
 
 
Next SPU Women's Soccer Game
Seattle Pacific at Central Washington
Saturday, Sept. 22, 2:00 p.m. PDT
CWU Soccer Field / Ellensburg, Wash.