SATURDAY, APRIL 24
(#7) Seattle Pacific at Western Washington
4:00.m. PDT, Harrington Field, Bellingham, Wash. (spectators not allowed)
 
• Webcast:  https://www.youtube.com/WWUVikingsAthletics
• LiveStats:  https://wwuvikings.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary
 
Seventh-ranked Seattle Pacific's perfect start meets it toughest test to date on Saturday, April 24 with their first road outing. The undefeated Falcons (5-0), who have outscored opponents by a 22-0 margin, clash with Western Washington at 4:00 p.m. on Harrington Field in Bellingham. The two-time defending Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion Vikings (1-0-1) are also unbeaten. The Northwest rivals each have an NCAA Division II title to their credit, SPU in 2008 and Western in 2016. The Vikings have not lost to SPU since a 1-0 home defeat on Oct. 27, 2012, posting a 17-0-3 series record since then.
 
Throw-In
Seattle Pacific hasn't started a season with five consecutive wins since the 2009 squad inaugurated the campaign with 10 consecutive shutout victories.
 
Offensive Outburst
SPU boasts a brace in every outing and six overall multi-goal games by individual players. Sophia Chilczuk has scored two goals on three occasions, Claire Neder twice and Chloe Gellhaus once. The Falcons 22 goals mark their finest five-game scoring spree since the 2008 national championship team compiled 24 goals from Oct. 18 through Nov. 6. That stretch 12 years ago included nine- and six-goal barrages versus Northwest Nazarene, but also a pair of 2-0 wins. No previous SPU squad netted four-or-more goals in five straight games as the current team accomplished.
 
Dynamic Defense
 

The Falcons have not surrendered a goal this season, covering 450 scoreless minutes. With five clean sheets, the stingy defense has allowed just 23 shots and only seven of them were directly on goal, requiring saves from goalkeepers Riley Travis (6) and Kaitlynn Knocke (1).
 
Player of the Week
Claire Neder, who amassed four goals to lead Seattle Pacific to consecutive home victories over Western Oregon, received the GNAC women's soccer Offensive Player of the Week award on Monday. Neder's back-to-back braces produced the first multi-goal games of her four-year career. She tallied the Falcons opening two goals in Friday's (April 16) 5-0 triumph, scoring them just 1-minute, 26-seconds apart in the ninth and 10th minutes. In Saturday's (April 17) 4-0 win, Neder registered the team's final two scores. She found the goal in the 26th minute and capped the scoring in the 71st.
 
Abbreviated Schedule
The Great Northwest Athletic Conference announced Jan. 8 that there would not be a league season so the Falcons fended for themselves in finding opponents. SPU will play fewer games than in any of its previous 19 seasons, with the least being 17 games in 2017 (10-7-0). There are currently 10 counting games scheduled, seven of them at home and three on the road. There may be additional games added with a possibility of games being postponed or cancelled if COVID issues arise.
 
This Week's Opponent
Western Washington (1-0-1) -- The Vikings have played just two games, both of them at home. They drew, 0-0, with Pacific Lutheran (Apr. 3) and beat Saint Martin's 1-0 on Tuesday. Darby Doyle scored the lone goal in the 29th minute off an assist from Estera Levinte. Goalkeepers Natalie Dierickx, Abigail Trengove and Claire Henninger combined for the two shutouts. Travis Connell, a four-year SPU men's soccer letterman (1991-95), is in his 18th year and owns WWU's all-time mark with 262 coaching wins. WWU leads the all-time series 21-18-6 and has not lost to the Falcons since Oct. 27, 2012, covering a span of 20 games during which Western went 17-0-3. The Vikings swept all three meetings in 2019, winning the regular-season matchups 3-0 on Oct. 24 in Bellingham and 2-0 on Nov. 7 in Seattle. WWU won the GNAC Tournament championship with a 2-1 decision against the Falcons, on Nov. 16 in Seattle. That was the Vikings 13th consecutive victory over SPU.
 
Coach Busey
Arby Busey is in his 15th year on the Seattle Pacific staff and his sixth as head coach. In 2019 he directed the Falcons to a 12-8-0 record and an appearance in the GNAC Tournament championship game. SPU placed second in the GNAC regular-season standings with a 9-3-0 league ledger. Busey has a 54-31-8 record at SPU, a mark 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 in 2018. 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.
 
2020-21 Season Preview
 

Eight starters return from the 2019 SPU team that outscored opponents 36-20 and advanced to the GNAC Tournament title game. The Falcons feature reigning GNAC Freshman of the Year Chloe Gellhaus, who compiled eight goals in 2019. She forms a potent attacking trio with first-team all-league forward Sophia Chilczuk (8 goals) and honorable mention pick Claire Neder (6). Gellhaus and Neder are half of a midfield quartet that returns intact, joining with Makena Rietz and Taylor Menkens. Backed by goalkeeper Riley Travis, with her five shutouts and 1.04 goals against average, the defense surrendered just one goal per game. Mariah Alexander and Ava Giovanola return from that stingy backline. Seven talented freshmen and transfers Emmy Moore (Idaho) and Callie Rheaume (Hawaii Pacific) will compete for playing time.
 
2019 Season Review
Seattle Pacific compiled a 12-8-0 record and a second-place finish in the final 2019 GNAC standings with a 9-3-0 league ledger. The defense notched seven shutouts and a 0.98 goals against average, including a mid-season stretch of 321 consecutive minutes without surrendering a score. The Falcons advanced to the GNAC Tournament championship game before falling, 2-1, to eventual West Region champion Western Washington. Chloe Gellhaus was honored as the GNAC Freshman of the Year and a first-team All-West Region honoree. Joining her on the GNAC first team were teammates Sophia Chilczuk and Asia Cayetano. Claire Neder, Makena Rietz and Riley Travis were honorable mention selections.