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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12
Simon Fraser at Seattle Pacific
4:30 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
 
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17
Saint Martin's at Seattle Pacific
7:00 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
 
• Buy Tickets:  www.spufalcons.com/tickets
• Webcast:  https://www.youtube.com/user/SPUsports
• LiveStats:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/spu/wsoc/
 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19
Seattle Pacific at Central Washington
4:00 p.m. PDT, Tomlinson Stadium, Ellensburg, Wash.
 
• Webcast & LiveStats:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
 
A little rest for the weary! The Seattle Pacific women, who last weekend played two games in a 42-hour span, have just one game this week before resuming the regular two-game schedule next week. The Falcons (5-5-0, 3-1-0 GNAC) host Simon Fraser on Saturday, Oct. 12. The Clan (1-6-1, 1-3-0) and SPU split two games last season, each winning on the road in overtime. Kick-off for Saturday's game is 4:30 p.m. at Interbay Stadium where the Falcons host Saint Martin's on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. SPU won all 23 previous encounters versus the Saints (2-6-2, 0-3-0). On Saturday, Oct. 19 the Falcons travel to Ellensburg to clash with Central Washington at 4 p.m. in Tomlinson Stadium. The Wildcats (4-4-0, 2-1-0) lost the last three meetings with SPU.
 
Falcons Fast Fact
Sophomore defender Mariah Alexander had never tallied a goal nor assist as a Falcon until Oct. 3 when she factored into every score in a 3-0 win over Concordia with a goal and two assists. Alexander's headed goal came off a corner kick from Ava Giovanola, a Skyline High School and club teammate she has known since Kindergarten.


 
Last Week
Goals by Chloe Gellhaus, Mariah Alexander and Sierra Smith powered SPU to a 3-0 home triumph over Concordia-Portland on Oct. 3, avenging losses in the previous two meetings that eliminated the Falcons from the 2018 GNAC and NCAA Division II Tournaments. Riley Travis returned from a three-game injury absence to record her second shutout and the team's fourth clean sheet. On Oct. 5 in Monmouth, Western Oregon netted two early second-half goals just 2-minutes, 33-seconds apart to shut out the Falcons, 2-0. The result halted SPU's 31-game unbeaten streak (30-0-1) in the Wolves series. 
 
Throw-Ins
Sophia Chilczuk picked up a point in three consecutive games (2 goals, 1 assist) before being blanked in the last outing ... Three Falcons' games have gone into overtime and each ended with a 2-1 result on an early golden goal ... Freshman Chloe Gellhaus leads SPU with 30 shots and scored a goal in back-to-back games, on Sept. 28 and Oct. 3.
 
2019 Season Preview
Six starters return from the NCAA playoff team that outscored opponents 40-19 in 2018. That's a fine foundation for the Falcons to build upon, but there are some holes to fill as less than half (18 of 40) of last season's goals were netted by returning players. The Falcons lost their second- and third-leading scorers in Kasey Reeve (7 goals) and Julia DeVere (4), the GNAC Defender of the Year who distributed a team-high seven assists. Heading the list of SPU's offensive returnees is junior forward Sophia Chilczuk, who topped the team with eight goals in 2018 en route to second-team All-West Region accolades. She had five game-winning strikes. Senior midfielder Megan Moore was a third-team all-region recipient with three goals and six assists to her credit. Junior midfielder Claire Neder chipped in three goals and three assists. The senior duo of Megan Nielsen and Asia Cayetano returns after starting every game last season on the back line. The defense is supported by sophomore goalkeeper Riley Travis, who posted five of the team's eight shutouts while compiling an outstanding 1.08 goals against average. Seven talented freshmen and MSU Billings transfer Samea Aljundi will vie for playing time.
 
Upcoming Opponents
Simon Fraser (1-6-1, 1-3-0 GNAC) -- The lone win for the Clan was a 2-0 home result on Oct. 3 versus Saint Martin's that snapped a five-game losing skid. Simon Fraser lost 1-0 at Northwest Nazarene in its last outing. The Clan have been outscored 13-3 and Giuliana Zaurrini is the only player to score with a trio of goals to her credit. Nicole Anderson has played every minute in goal, posting two shutouts and a 1.56 goals against average. The teams split two matchups in 2018, beginning with the Clan's 2-1 overtime decision in Seattle on Sept. 27 that was their first ever win over SPU. The Falcons won the rematch 3-2, also in overtime, on Oct. 18 in Burnaby, B.C. Seattle Pacific owns a 13-1-2 advantage in the all-time series.
 
Saint Martin's (2-6-2, 0-3-0 GNAC) -- The Saints are scoreless over their last four games, losing all of them, by a combined 11-0 score. Jessica Moskowitz compiled two goals and two assists to lead the Saints, who also got two goals from Shea McKnight. The Falcons won all 23 previous meetings versus SMU and were victorious in this year's first encounter, 2-0, on Sept. 28 in Lacey, Wash. on goals by Sophia Chilczuk and Chloe Gellhaus.
 
Central Washington (4-4-0, 2-1-0 GNAC) -- The fourth-place Wildcats won two of their first three GNAC games and netted two goals in both victories, over Simon Fraser (2-1) and Saint Martin's (2-0). Over half of their 11 total goals were produced by the duo of Olivia Sloan and Peyton Vogel, who each have three goals. The goalkeeping tandem of Emily Thompson and Megan Fox combined for two shutouts and a 1.48 goals against average. The Falcons won the last three meetings to gain a 26-7-4 lead in the all-time series. SPU swept both games in 2018 by shutout with a 2-0 decision on Sept. 22 in Ellensburg and 3-0 on Oct. 23 in Seattle. The Wildcats last win was a 2-1 result in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament in Bellingham, Wash.

 

Coach Busey
Arby Busey is in his 14th year on the Seattle Pacific staff and his fifth as head coach. In 2018, he directed the Falcons to a 12-6-2 record and a third-place tie in the GNAC standings (8-3-1) en route to an NCAA Tournament berth. He has a 42-28-8 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 and again last year. From his assistant post from 2006-14, Busey helped the Falcons to an impressive 95-30-12 record and playoff appearances each year. SPU won the 2008 NCAA Division II championship and reached the 2007 national semifinals. He is a 1993 graduate of Villanova and was the Idaho head coach from 2002-04 where he had an 8-40-7 record.
 
GNAC Tournament
Seattle Pacific's Interbay Stadium will host the 2019 GNAC Women's Soccer Tournament. Semifinal games are slated for 4 and 7 p.m. on Nov. 14 with the winners meeting in the championship game on Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. The champion receives the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Division II Tournament.
 
2018 Season Review
The SPU women returned to the NCAA playoffs in 2018 after a one-year absence. The Falcons fashioned a 12-6-2 overall record and tied for third in the GNAC standings with an 8-3-1 mark. They outscored opponents 40-19 led by the eight goals of Sophia Chilczuk. Departing seniors accounted for 22 goals with seven of them from Kasey Reeve and four from All-American defender Julia DeVere, who topped the team with seven assists. DeVere was voted the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year.