SEATTLE –Makena Rietz contributed the first score and an assist and Sophie Beadle registered the final two goals Thursday night for fourth-ranked Seattle Pacific, which routed Saint Martin's 5-0 at Interbay Stadium to clinch a berth in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament.
 
The Falcons (12-1-1) extended their unbeaten streak to eight games with seven wins and a tie during that span. They improved to 9-1-1 in GNAC play for a 28-point total that provides a four-point advantage over second-place Western Washington, which lost 2-1 at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday.
 
SPU secured a spot in the four-team GNAC Tournament scheduled for November 11 and 13 at WWU's Harrington Field in Bellingham.
 
For the sixth time this season, Rietz tallied the team's first goal and five of them came in the opening 18 minutes. She found the goal during the first minute of play in two previous games.

MAKENA RIETZ GOAL

"It's becoming a habit at this point for Makena," SPU coach Arby Busey said of the early goals. "She's so busy, she covers so much ground and a lot of these are her ability to be in the proper spot at the proper time and be able to pounce on things.
 
"Tonight, that ball was bouncing around in there and she's been clinical. That thing fell to her feet and she did the same things that she's done so frequently for us this year, and that's to deposit it in our opponent's net. It was a great way to get the game started and settle us in with a relatively early goal again."
 
The senior midfielder booted the ball in Thursday from the top of the 6-yard box during a 12th-minute goalmouth scramble initiated by a right-side corner kick. That accounted for her GNAC-leading sixth game-winning goal.
 
Rietz briefly claimed sole possession of the GNAC scoring lead with her eighth goal. But teammate Lauren Forster scored her eighth in the 56th minute to double the lead and move back into a scoring tie with Rietz.
 
Rylee Pierce bent a 20-yard shot around the goalkeeper and into the right side of the goal in the 56th minute for her second score of the season.

RYLEE PIERCE INTERVIEW

Beadle doubled her season goal total, scoring in the 78th and 89th minutes to finish the four-goal, second-half spree.
 
"Sophie is an explosive personality for us and somebody who has abundant ability," Busey exclaimed. "We saw that tonight in the second half where she goes in and bangs in two goals in a short period of time."
 
Goalkeeper Riley Travis faced two shots and needed to stop only one of them en route to her seventh clean sheet. That was the 10th overall shutout for the Falcons, who have surrendered just three goals all season while scoring 42 themselves.
 
The lone save by SPU's senior shot-stopper came in the 75th minute off the foot of the Wolves Daeh Lindquist. Her attempt, from five yards outside the box, was easily caught by Travis.
 
WOU goalkeeper Ali Campigotto tried valiantly to keep the Falcons at bay with eight saves and several were of the spectacular variety. But she was no match for a 23-shot barrage that featured 13 attempts directly on frame.
 
SCORING SUMMARY
Despite only getting one goal, the Falcons dominated the run of play during the opening 45 minutes, compiling an 11-1 shot advantage. The lone first-half attempt by the visitors came at 15:44 on a shot by Taylor Goodpaster that was blocked by an SPU defender.
 
Campigotto kept the Wolves in the hunt, amassing six saves by intermission. The only shot that got past her was by Rietz.
 
A high, hard, knuckling shot from 28 yards out by Taylor Menkens was punched over the crossbar by Campigotto. The subsequent right-side corner kick created a scramble in the goalmouth and Rietz pushed it into the right side of the goal close range at 11:48.
 
Rietz started the second scoring play, sliding a through pass to Forster streaking down the center. Forster caught up with the ball 25 yards from goal, took one touch and delivered a low shot that was slowed by the goalkeeper, but trickled into the right side of the goal at 55:18.

LAUREN FORSTER GOAL

Twenty-seven seconds later Rylee Pierce picked up her second goal of the season, at 55:45. She collected a pass from Forster on the left side and dribble along the top edge of the box before bending a 20-yard shot around the goalkeeper and into the right side of the goal.
 
Beadle's first goal provided a 4-0 lead at 77:56. She tapped in a two-yard putback after the ball rebounded from a shot by Lauren Snedeker, who was credited with an assist on the play.
 
The final goal occurred at 88:02 on a 12-yard finish by Beadle after a long breakaway.
 
THROW-INS
• The Falcons have netted five or more goals four times this season after not having more than one five-goal game in a season since there were two in 2014. The only SPU team with more five-goal games was the 2005 squad that had five of them.
 
• Freshman defender Kathryn Nyone drew her first start, opening as an outside back.
 
• The SPU defense has not allowed a goal in 335-minutes, 40-seconds, dating to a 25th-minute goal by Montana State Billings on Oct. 16.
 
• Coach Arby Busey opened the second half with seven different players than he opened the game with, Lauren Forster, Toni Miranda, Abbie Anderson, Mia Mahaffey, Ava Giovanola, Rylee Pierce and Emmy Moore. Game starters Chloe Gellhaus, Claire Neder, Sophia Chilczuk and Landrey McCann didn't play after halftime.
 
• Riley Travis now has 19 career solo shutouts and participated in five other clean sheets.
 
NEXT GAME
The Falcons remain in Seattle for their next two games. They host Western Oregon on Saturday. The Wolves are the only team to defeat SPU, posting a 1-0 overtime decision on Sept. 30 in Monmouth. Kick-off is 2:00 p.m. at Interbay Stadium for the annual Senior Day game. Nine departing players will be honored in a ceremony prior to the game.
 
"Our focus is going to be probably less on avenging the loss and more on honoring some seniors who've done an amazing job of leading our program this year," Busey said. "They've put in a ton of work in getting us to a place where we're all super excited to be in. It's an opportunity to pay tribute to the work that they've done and how much they've invested in all of us.
 
"That's where the focus and the energy will be Saturday, is us trying to go out there and give those guys a great day that honors all the work that they've put in."
 
Next Thursday, Nov. 4, the SPU women close out their regular-season home schedule at 4:30 p.m. versus Central Washington.
 
NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER
Thursday, October 28, 2021
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.
 
at (#4) Seattle Pacific 5, Saint Martin's 0
 
Scoring – 1, SPU, Makena Rietz (unassisted), 11:48; 2, SPU, Lauren Forster (Rietz), 55:18; 3, SPU, Rylee Pierce (unassisted), 55:45; 4, SPU, Sophie Beadle (Lauren Snedeker), 77:56; 5, SPU, Beadle (unassisted), 88:02.
 
                          1   2  --  TOTAL
Saint Martin's            0   0  --    0
Seattle Pacific           1   4  --    5
 
Shots – SMU 2, SPU 23.
Shots on Goal – SMU 1, SPU 13.
Saves – SMU 8 (Ali Campigotto), SPU 1 (Riley Travis).
Corner Kicks – SMU 1, SPU 5.
Fouls – SMU 6, SPU 7.
Offsides – SMU 1, SPU 4.
 
Records
Saint Martin's 3-12-0,  2-9-0 GNAC
Seattle Pacific 12-1-1,  9-1-1 GNAC
 
Next SPU Women's Soccer Game
Western Oregon at (#4) Seattle Pacific -- Senior Day
Saturday, October 30, 2:00 p.m.
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.