SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific University women's soccer team is moving on to the to the third round of the NCAA Tournament thanks to a game-winner from Lauren Forster, a shutout from Mercedes Cullen, and plenty of support from a packed Interbay Soccer Stadium.
SPU earned the right to host the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament after a fantastic 2023. The team won the GNAC regular season championship and were undefeated in conference play. After a first round bye, the Falcons couldn't wait to play Saturday's match against CSULA in front of family, friends, and supporters.
"It was an amazing environment today," head coach Arby Busey said. "We're so blessed to have the support we have from fans that came out today and everyone that has been supporting us along the way. We felt that today. We talked about during the day that the team felt the extra energy the crowd brought today, and that played into helping us achieve what we achieved today."
After a quiet first half that featured just four shots from the Falcons, SPU turned up the pressure. They out-shot the Golden Eagles 8-5 in the second half. Continued created chances led to the moment of the match for the Falcons.
The Falcons broke through in the 56th minute. Taylor Krueger worked down the right side of the field before serving the ball into the box. Forster got her left foot to it by the near post. She redirected the ball from three yards out and put it into the back of the net as several Golden Eagles crashed into Forster.
In a battle between the best offensive team in the GANC and one of the top defensive teams in Division II, Forster's goal was the third of her season and marked just the 10th time this year that the Golden Eagles have conceded a goal.
"We knew today was going to be an uphill climb," Busey said. "CSULA is so good defensively, they just don't give you many looks at all. At halftime, we talked about getting to the near post on service. Their keeper is so good, that we wanted to get someone across and in front of her to keep her from getting it. It was a great serve by Taylor, it was a great finish by Lauren and they teamed up to get what we needed."
Cullen was her sensational self in goal for the Falcons. She made five saves and faced eight total shots in 90 minutes. The shutout was Cullen's sixth of the season for the Falcons.
Defenders Kathryn Nyone, Mackenzie Aiken, and Kailalani Ahuna played the full 90 minutes for the Falcons. That back line proved vital down the stretch as the usually defensively oriented Cal State LA began to throw more players into the attack. Lauren Snedeker also played every minute of the match, finishing with two shots while patrolling the congested midfield.
With the victory, the Falcons advance to the third round of the NCAA Women's Soccer Championships where it will face No. 1 seed Point Loma in a location that has yet to be determined. The win also marks the furthest that the Falcons have advanced in the postseason since winning the NCAA West Region title in 2021.
"I'm so excited for this group," Busey said. "They've worked so hard, and it's so rewarding as a coach when the group gets what they deserve. They're seeing how their hard work is paying off. You can see it in their eyes that they are motivated to continue work hard. They've got something here that they understand that if you keep investing in every day, there will be big rewards in the end. That's what has been working for us all year long. We'll take a few days to enjoy this one because we should. We'll get back after that and work toward the next goal we've created for ourselves."
