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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
Simon Fraser at Seattle Pacific
5:00.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
• Webcast:  https://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
• LiveStats:  www.sidearmstats.com/spu/wsoc/
 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
Northwest Nazarene at Seattle Pacific
3:00.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
• Webcast:  https://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/ 
• LiveStats:  www.sidearmstats.com/spu/wsoc/
 
Seattle Pacific seeks to keep its unblemished Great Northwest Athletic Conference record intact through a pair of home games this week at Interbay Stadium. The Falcons (6-1-1, 2-0-0 GNAC) host Simon Fraser on Thursday, Sept. 27 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time. The Clan (3-3-0, 1-1-0) has never beaten SPU in 14 all-time meetings (0-12-2), including a 2-1 Falcons win last season in Burnaby, B.C. On Saturday, Sept. 29 at 3 p.m. Northwest Nazarene visits Seattle. That is this year's only encounter between SPU and NNU. With the addition of a ninth team in 2015, the GNAC is not implementing a double round-robin schedule and the Falcons play four league foes just once (also Saint Martin's, Western Washington and Western Oregon). The Nighthawks (5-2-1, 1-2-0) won the last meeting 1-0 in overtime, just their third win in the all-time series that SPU leads 30-3-0.
 
Get Tickets in Advance
Falcons fans can now obtain tickets in advance for all home events. Buy tickets online at: http://siteline.vendini.com/site/spufalcons.com   Tickets are also available at the venue on gameday. All seats for SPU soccer are general admission and priced at $7 for adults and $5 for youth and senior citizens. SPU students and staff are admitted free. For reduced group and team rates please call (206) 281-2393 in advance.
 
Fab Freshman
SPU's Riley Travis leads NCAA Division II goalkeepers in save percentage, denying 96.3% of the shot she faces. The freshman shot stopper ranks No. 5 nationally with a 0.19 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.


 
Dynamic Defense
The Falcons are off to their best defensive start since the 2010 team also limited the first eight opponents to only two goals. That squad gave up a third goal in game No. 9. In 2009 SPU did not surrender a goal in its opening 10 games. The current cast of Falcons have outscored foes 16-2 and have not surrendered more than one goal in a game. SPU improves as the game progresses, having not conceded a goal past the 26th minute.
 
Throw-Ins
Half (3) of Sophia Chilczuk's team-leading six goals were game-winning strikes ... It has been feast or famine for the Falcons, who netted two or more goals in their six victories, but were shut out in their other two outings … SPU has surrendered just two goals this season for a 0.24 goals against average that ranks No. 4 nationally.
 
Last Week
The Falcons pitched a pair of road shutouts to start GNAC play. They won 4-0 at Saint Martin's (Sept. 20) behind two goals from Sophia Chilczuk. At Central Washington (Sept. 22), SPU was a 2-0 victor as Makayla Sonstelie and Kasey Reeve each scored.
 
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
Simon Fraser (3-3-0, 1-1-0 GNAC) -- The Clan became a GNAC member in 2010 as the first Canadian school to join the NCAA. Simon Fraser has alternated wins and losses every game, a trend SPU doesn't want to continue as the Clan's last outing resulted in a 1-0 loss at 15th-ranked Western Washington. Emma Pringle leads the team with five goals while Jenna-lee Baxter chips in three goals and a team-leading six assists. Goalkeepers Nicole Anderson and Mikayla Isobe combined for a 1.80 goals against average. The Falcons own a 12-0-2 series advantage, including a 2-1 victory in the last encounter on Sept. 16, 2017 in Burnaby, B.C. behind goals from Mickayla Mury and Kasey Reeve.
 
Northwest Nazarene (5-2-1, 1-2-0 GNAC) -- The Nighthawks were undefeated (5-0-1) through six games before dropping GNAC home games to Concordia and Western Oregon last week by matching 1-0 scores. They have outscored opponents 19-8 with Madi Taylor (5 goals) and Maddy Parton (4) accounting for nearly half of the goals. Goalkeeper Chloe Sholtz has two shutouts and a 0.97 goals against average. The teams split last season's meetings with the Falcons winning 1-0 on Sept. 23 in Seattle on a 49th-minute goal by Kasey Reeve. NNU won the last encounter 1-0 on a golden goal by Taylor 54 seconds into overtime after intercepting a back pass.  SPU owns a commanding 30-3 advantage in the all-time series.
 
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 31-18-7 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 hit the road for two games, paying visits to 17th-ranked Western Washington on Oct. 4 and Montana State Billings on Oct. 6.