LACEY, Wash. – Makena Rietz registered her first multiple-goal game Saturday, netting the opening two scores in seventh-ranked Seattle Pacific's 3-0 Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's soccer win at Saint Martin's at Saints Field.
 
The Falcons (6-1-0) rebounded from their lone setback, a 1-0 overtime loss on Thursday at Western Oregon, to improve to 3-1-0 in league play.
 
Rietz broke open a scoreless game six minutes into the second half on a goal assisted by Claire Neder and Sophia Chilczuk. The senior midfielder struck again seven minutes later on another goal set up by Neder.
 
"Makena put herself in some great spots and then was very clinical in those moments," said SPU coach Arby Busey. "She makes it look relatively simple, but she puts it where the goalkeeper can't get it. That's the type of player she is, Makena has the ability to make the difficult look simple."

MAKENA RIETZ 1ST GOAL

That was the third brace of the season for the Falcons, who also got two-goal games from Lauren Forster (Sept 23) and AJ DePinto (Sept. 25).
 
Forster got into the action Saturday with a single goal, capping the scoring with a little less than 10 minutes left to play. A sophomore forward, Forster has four goals to tie for the team lead along with Rietz and DePinto. Rietz increased her career total to 12 goals and five of those have been game-winning strikes.
 
Neder distributed her second and third assists of the season, increasing her career figure to 18. Five of those assists set up teammates for game-winning goals.
 
"We talked at halftime about just being more aggressive and more assertive and Claire took that to heart and really went after it in the second half.," Busey described. "She's a super talented soccer player who works really hard at her craft. She created some opportunities there on that left side just with her attitude and her relentlessness.
 
"It was great for us to get her going. Claire was somebody that had a great spring for us and has been phenomenal in practices, but maybe hadn't had a moment like she did today in a game yet this year."
 
The Saints (3-5-0) had their GNAC record evened at 2-2-0. Their defense entered the contest yielding less than a goal per game and had not allowed more than two scores to an opponent.
 
SPU senior goalkeeper Riley Travis stopped two shots, both of them in the first half, to pick up her third shutout and the 15th clean sheet of her career. The Falcons have blanked five opponents this season and surrendered just one goal in their last six outings.
 
Ai Campigotto made seven saves for SMU, which was outshot by a 20-7 margin. The Falcons were on the favorable side of a 13-3 second-half shot margin.
 
SPU nearly got on the board four minutes after intermission when Sophie Beadle went on a dribbling run into the right side of the box and launched a shot from a sharp angle. The ball carried across the goal and evaded the diving goalkeeper, but traveled inches wide of the left post before being cleared by a Saints defender.
 
SCORING SUMMARY
1 -- Sophia Chilczuk initiated the opening goal with a dribble into the right side of the box. She laid the ball off to the right side of the goalmouth for Claire Neder who first-timed a pass back toward the top of the box. Makena Rietz reached the feed and took one touch before directing the ball into the left side of the goal at 51:11.
 
2 -- Claire Neder raced down the left flank with the ball and sent a low pass across the goalmouth that reached Makena Rietz on the right side for the easy, left-footed tap-in at 64:10.
 
3 -- AJ DePinto sprinted 20 yards with the ball to the top of the box and fed a square pass to her left. Lauren Forster reached the ball, took one dribble and, as she was slipping onto her back, fired a left-footed shot across the goal and into the right-inside netting at 80:35.

LAUREN FORSTER GOAL

FIRST HALF SUMMARY
After being blanked in just three periods during their opening five games, the Falcons went scoreless in three consecutive halves this week.
 
Despite a 7-4 first-half shot advantage Saturday, including four attempts on frame, SPU was without a goal in a scoreless period.
 
The visitors' best opportunity came in the 13th minute when Chilczuk fired a low shot that Campigotto dove to snare near the right post.
 
The Saints put sent two shots on target and both of them were dangerous.
 
Maddie Wolff delivered a low, 15th-minute drive toward the goal that Travis dropped to her knees to deflect away from the left post.
 
A 23rd minute lofted header by Jordyn Jolley from a right-side corner kick would have snuck under the crossbar were it not for a high leap and grab from the Falcons goalkeeper.
 
THROW-INS
• Goalkeeper Riley Travis and defender Madison were the only Falcons to play all 90 minutes. They used 11 players off the bench.
 
• SPU entered the week having not gone longer than 72 minutes without scoring a goal this season. They were shutout Thursday and went six minutes into the second half Saturday before finding the back of the net. That scoring drought ended at 152-minutes, 21-seconds.
 
• The Falcons, who had only been blanked in three haves during their first five games, went three consecutive halves without a goal this week before Makena Reitz scored in the 52nd minute.
 
NEXT GAME
The Seattle Pacific women return home to host a pair of games at Interbay Stadium next week. They play Simon Fraser on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. before a clash with 10th-ranked Western Washington on Saturday, Oct. 9 at 7:00 p.m.
 
NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER
Saturday, October 2, 2021
Saints Field / Lacey, Wash.
 
(#7) Seattle Pacific 3, at Saint Martin's 0
 
Scoring – 1, SPU, Makena Rietz (Claire Neder, Sophia Chilczuk), 51:11; SPU, Rietz (Neder), 64:10.; 3, SPU, Lauren Forster (AJ DePinto), 80:35.
 
                        1   2  --  TOTAL
Seattle Pacific         0   3  --    3
Saint Martin's          0   0  --    0
 
Shots – SPU 20, SMU 7.
Shots on Goal – SPU 10, SMU 2.
Saves – SPU 2 (Riley Travis), SMU 7 (Ali Campigotto).
Corner Kicks – SPU 2, SMU 2.
Fouls – SPU 4, SMU 9.
Offsides – SPU 2, SMU 1.
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 6-1-0,  3-1-0 GNAC
Saint Martin's 3-5-0,  2-2-0 GNAC
 
Next SPU Women's Soccer Game
Simon Fraser at Seattle Pacific
Thursday, October 7, 4:30 p.m.
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.