SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific University women's soccer team kicks off its 2024 season this weekend with two matches in Arcata, Calif. The trip starts with a match against Sonoma State at noon on Thursday, followed by a contest against Cal Poly Humboldt on Saturday at 11 a.m.
QUOTABLE
"Our group is excited to get things going this week as the Regular Season starts. Opening up on the road will be a big challenge against two great teams from the CCAA. Sonoma State is a traditional power within the West Region and has always been a tough match when we have played in the past. Humboldt will be at home and is coming off a great season last fall. We played an exciting match last fall with Humboldt and I'm certain this will be another fun one. We will get tested by both opponents and need to be at the top of our game to secure results." – head coach Arby Busey.
GNAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
The Great Northwest Athletic Conference announced its women's soccer preseason coaches poll last Tuesday, with Seattle Pacific receiving three first-place votes and landing in second place.
The Falcons picked up three first-place votes in the GNAC preseason coaches poll. Their 55 points put them in second place behind Western Washington. The Vikings also received three first-place votes from the conference coaches. Simon Fraser landed in third place with 51 points and two first-place votes.
UNITED STATES SOCCER COACHES PRESEASON POLL
The United Soccer Coaches announced its preseason poll on Aug. 6, as the Falcons ranked 14th in the nation. SPU was the only GNAC member represented in the preseason top 25.
ABOUT LAST SEASON
The Falcons enter 2024 as the reigning regular season conference champions. They finished the season with a 13-4-5 record while going undefeated in conference play. They were a force on the road with an 8-1-1 record away from Interbay Soccer Stadium. The team clinched its regular season title with a 2-0 shutout of Western Washington on Harrington Field. It was the 10th time in program history that the Falcons were crowned champions.
The Falcons qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the 16th time in 2023. After a first-round bye, they shut out Cal State LA 1-0 at home to advance to the Sweet 16. The postseason run would end there, as they fell to eventual national champions Point Loma on Nov. 30.
THEY'VE BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT
Still, 2023 GNAC Coach of the Year Arby Busey has plenty of experience and talent to lean on. Lauren Snedeker returns after a First Team All-GNAC selection in 2023. Snedeker started all 22 matches last season and logged the most minutes on the team with 1,927. She scored two goals and had two assists for six points in 2023.
Kathryn Nyone is back after earning GNAC Honorable Mention last season. She appeared in 22 matches and started all but one. Nyone scored twice and had the game-winning goal against Northwest Nazarene on Oct. 28.
Taylor Krueger provided an instant spark to the Falcons after transferring from Saint Loius University in 2023. She was named GNAC Newcomer of the Year and Honorable Mention in her first season with the Falcons. Krueger scored four goals, had five assists, and scored 13 points in 2023. She ranked second on the team in each category.
Mercedes Cullen is back in goal for the Falcons in 2024. Cullen was named Second Team All-GNAC after posting a 10-2-4 record in goal in 2023. She made the second most saves in the conference with 73 and had a goals-against average of one.
Landrey McCann, Moira MacKay, Kayla Wallace, and Maya Parman return with experience and the ability to help the Falcons in 2024. McCann has made 20 starts for SPU throughout her career. MacKay scored three goals and finished with seven points for SPU last season. Wallace scored three times, adding three assists for nine points in 2023. Parman has been a consistent presence for SPU, playing more than 900 minutes in her first two seasons at SPU.
TALENTED NEWCOMERS
Busey has added five newcomers to his talented group of returners. Jen Merri, Natalie Boles, Maddie Cooke, Sophie Hanay, and Jes Lizotte will debut for the Falcons in 2024.
Merri was First Team All-League and the league's Player of the Year at Rio Americano High School in Sacramento, Calif. She picked up Defensive Player of the League honors as a sophomore. Merri was named her high school's Female Athlete of the Year as a senior.
Boles played and graduated from Wenatchee High School. She earned First Team All-Conference honors three times, and was the conference's Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore. Cooke graduated from Union High School with a 4.0 grade point average. On the field, she was First Team All-GSHL twice.
Hanay joins the Falcons from nearby Bishop Blanchet High School. She picked up Metro-League Honorable Mention and First Team recognition with the Bears. Lizotte graduated from West Valley High School and was First Team All-League four times. She brings big-match experience to the Falcons, with two state tournament appearances and two district championships on her resumé.
ABOUT SONOMA STATE
Sonoma State looking to bounce back after a down year in 2023. The Seawolves had won three consecutive CCAA regular season titles and lost only five matches in the previous three seasons, but they went just 3-9-5 last season. The team finished eighth in the CCAA preseason coaches poll.
ABOUT CAL POLY HUMBOLDT
Cal Poly Humboldt put together one of the best seasons in program history in 2023, capping it off with a victory in the first round of the CCAA Tournament. The Lumberjacks led the conference in many offensive categories, including shots per game (16.8) and shots on goal per game (7.5). They were also second in save percentage and will have their starting goalkeeper, Carson Thomson-Terrel, back for her junior season. Humboldt will have six starters return from its team that went 13-5-2 (6-4-1 CCAA) in 2023. They're expected to finish fourth in the CCAA according to their coaches poll.
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