SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific University women's soccer team returns home for a match against Central Washington on Thursday at 7 p.m. before the Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule rolls over into rematches as MSU Billings visits Interbay on Saturday at 2 p.m.
QUOTABLE
"We'll need to continue to play brave, courageous, and aggressive," head coach Arby Busey said. "We are at our best when we have those qualities."
WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK
The Falcons return home after playing well in both matches last weekend.
They picked up a significant 1-0 shutout victory over Simon Fraser last Thursday. The difficult trip became a tad easier after Chloe Gellhaus scored the game-winner in the 20th minute. Her third goal of the season ties her for second-most in the conference. It was assisted by Kathryn Nyone, who's tied with Lauren Forster for a team-high and conference-best three assists.
The goal was good, but the defense may have been better against the Red Leafs. Mercedes Cullen picked up her fifth clean sheet of the season, making four saves.
Saturday's match against conference-leading Western Washington was always going to be tough. Once again, the defense was excellent, thwarting 17 shots from WWU while Cullen made nine saves. However, the opportunistic Vikings found the goal they needed on a loose ball in front of the net. They'd score it in the 78th minute and hang on for a 1-0 victory in Bellingham.
Now, the Falcons look forward to a new opponent for the final time in the regular season. They'll face a Wildcat team led by first-year head coach Lindsey Lee on Thursday. SPU is 8-1-1 in their last 10 matchups against the Wildcats.
On Saturday, it'll be a rematch from Sept. 15 against MSU Billings. The Falcons took a 3-0 win on that day in September. In their last 10 games, SPU is 8-0-2 against MSUB.
To keep the trends where they're at, SPU will lean on an offense that ranks first in the conference with assists (15) and third in goals (14). Eight different Falcons have scored goals this season, with five players scoring multiple times this year. Defensively, the Falcons have allowed just 10 goals this season and have kept Cullen's goals allowed average below one per game.
For the Falcons, it's about continuing to do what they've done, regardless of the opponent. That challenge begins Thursday against CWU at 7 p.m. at Interbay Stadium.
SCOUTING THE CENTRAL WASHINGTON WILDCATS (2-5-3, 1-3-2 GNAC)
The Wildcats were picked to repeat a seventh-place finish in this year's GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll. New head coach Lindsey Lee was tasked with improving upon a 4-10-0 conference record from a season ago.
The schedule hasn't been kind to the Wildcats in 2022. They picked up a 2-1 win over San Francisco State during the opening weekend but struggled to build on that momentum. Last weekend, they picked up their first conference win over Saint Martin's 2-1.
Most matches have been low scoring for the Wildcats, as they've allowed 15 goals while scoring seven on their own. Three keepers have played for the CWU this season, with Kassandra Jaggard getting the majority of the workload. She's played in 10 matches, made 40 saves, and has a save percentage of .769. Emily Darcy and Jordan Bartlow lead the team offensively, scoring a team-high two goals each.
SCOUTING THE MSU BILLINGS YELLOWJACKETS (1-7-1, 1-4-1 GNAC)
The Falcons and Yellowjackets met on Sept. 15 which proved to be a 3-0 win for visiting SPU. After a scoreless first half, Sophie Beadle scored in the 49th minute off a pass from Marissa Bankey to put the team up 1-0. Bankey scored a penalty kick to extend the Falcon lead again. Kayla Wallace assisted Rylee Pierce who scored in the 67th minute to secure the match.
The Yellowjackets picked up a 2-0 win over Central Washington in their next match, but have gone 0-3-1 since. They'll have to take on a tough Northwest Nazarene team on Thursday before heading to Seattle. NNU (4-0-2 GNAC) ranks second in conference standings, trailing WWU (5-0-1 GNAC) by two points.
