BILLINGS, Mont. – The Seattle Pacific University women's soccer team opened Great Northwest Athletic Conference play against MSU Billings on Thursday afternoon. It was a great start to conference play, as the Falcons scored three times in the second half in a 3-0 victory over the Yellowjackets.
The first half of Thursday's GNAC opener was relatively quiet for both sides. The Falcons and Yellowjackets matched each other with just two shots. Things changed suddenly for SPU in the second half.
"We have to credit MSUB," head coach Arby Busey said. "They put some challenges in front of us in the first half. Credit to our women as well. They were frustrated at halftime and talked about the things they could take advantage of and went out and did that in the second half. That's what good teams can do. See what the game is giving them and then be able to capitalize on that."
The Falcons gained a lead early in the second half. After a brief scrum, the ball popped out to Marissa Bankey who sent the ball into the box from right to left. The ball skipped past Jacqueline Blakeley to Sophie Beadle, who settled it before storing it in the lower left corner.
"It was one the first real threats we had in the game," Busey explained. "For Beadle to be calm, composed, and tuck it in there was great. It gave us the ability to exhale and play the way were capable of and expand upon what the team had seen in the first half and move forward with their plan for the second half."
The Falcons had another scoring opportunity in the 54th minute. Blakeley was tripped up by the keeper, setting up a penalty kick. Bankey stepped forward for the chance and gave the Falcons a 2-0 lead with a shot that zoomed past the keeper.
Later in the second half, Kayla Wallace was making a move down the left side of the field before entering the 18-yard box. She cut back up the field before turning and sending one toward the keeper. The ball bounced around before Rylee Pierce tapped it in for her first goal of the season. It put the Falcons up 3-0 in the 67th minute.
Mercedes Cullen spent 90 minutes between the posts for the Falcons. She made three saves on her way to her third clean sheet of the season. Kathryn Nyone, Dalton Mermis, Ally Veenhuizen, and the rest of the defense were solid for the entire contest. The Yellowjackets were only able to send five shots in, with just three coming on goal.
"Billings was focused on defending the first half and nullifying what we could do on the offensive side," Busey said. "They played conservatively, which made defending for us a little more simple in terms of our responsibilities. Once we extended our lead, they had to attack a little bit more. Our women did a great job of defending that change. They had a couple of shots late that Mercedes was in good places to handle. Defensively, it was a well-played game from our team."
GNAC play continues on Saturday, as the Falcons take on Northwest Nazarene at noon.
