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Oct. 28, 2009

Box Score

SEATTLE, Wash. - Western Washington University recovered from allowing an early goal, earning a 1-1 tie against nationally ranked Seattle Pacific University in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's soccer contest Wednesday at Interbay Stadium.

The Vikings, who are on a five-game unbeaten streak, are 10-4-3 overall and stay atop the GNAC standings at 7-1-2.

Seattle Pacific, ranked No.6 nationally in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America/NCAA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll, is 14-2-1 overall and 7-1-1 in the GNAC.

"It was a fantastic game," said Western coach Travis Connell. "It was two heavyweight teams that just battled. I would have bought a ticket to watch this one. And a lot of our fans did, we had a lot of people here, it was fantastic support from our fans."

The Falcons opened the scoring in the eighth minute, as Brandi Hamre took a pass from Jocelyn Charette and fired inside the far post from 25 yards out. SPU nearly doubled the advantage in the 31st minute, when Savanna Hanson headed a corner kick off the crossbar.

But Western responded in the second half, tying the score in the 66th minute.

Kelly Irving (Sr., Gig Harbor) played in a cross from the right that fell to Lucy Miller (Sr., Pacific Palisades, CA) at the far post, and Miller, who had checked into the game less than 90 seconds before, tapped the ball in from two yards out for the equalizer.

Irving's assist gave her a GNAC-leading eight on the season, and was the 26th of her career, tying a school record held by Cindy Gordon for 25 years (1981-84).

"It was classic Irving, she had the ball in the corner with three defenders on her and got the cross off," said Connell. "And Lucy scores another big goal. She has 21 goals in her career, and 10 have been game-winning or game-tying."

Miller's other goal this season was the game-winner in a 3-2 triumph over then-No.1 ranked SPU on Oct. 3, ending the Falcons' 27-game unbeaten streak. Miller has two of the six goals allowed this season by the Falcons, who have posted shutouts in 14 of their 17 games.

"It was a real courageous effort," said Connell, adding that defender Alicia Patten (So., Seattle/Holy Names Academy) returned from injury and played all 110 minutes. "Heart carried us through. SPU came out with energy and got a goal on us. But after about 20 minutes we came back. We dominated the second half, but SPU dominated the overtime."

The Falcons nearly got a game-winner with about five minutes left in overtime, but Janie Wurth's shot from 25 yards was stopped spectacularly by Western goalkeeper Kylie Broadbent (Sr., Spokane/Lewis & Clark), the last of her seven saves.

"That was one of the best saves I've ever seen," Connell said. "The ball swerved the wrong way and Kylie dove back across to stop it. The stands just went silent for a second."

The Falcons had a 17-14 advantage in shots overall.

Western is 2-1-2 now in its last five meetings with Seattle Pacific, the loss being 1-0 in overtime in the NCAA Division II West Regional championship game.

The result keeps Western temporarily in first place in the GNAC standings, but puts Seattle Pacific in the driver's seat for the conference championship, as the Falcons, who have played one less GNAC game than Western, would claim the crown with victories in their last three games even if the Vikings won their last two.

The conference champion earns an automatic berth in the NCAA II National Tournament. That is probably Western's best hope for post-season play, as the Vikings were seventh in this week's West Region ranking and would probably need to be in the top five to receive an at-large berth.

The Vikings do not play again until Thursday, Nov. 5 (4 p.m.), when they host Northwest Nazarene at Orca Field on the campus of Whatcom Community College. Western concludes the regular season at Montana State-Billings on Nov. 7.

Western Washington vs. Seattle Pacific
Date: 10/28/09  Attendance: 379
Goals by Period     1  2  OT     Total
Western Washington  0  1   0 ---   1
Seattle Pacific     1  0   0 ---   1
SCORING SUMMARY:
SPU - Hamre (Charette), 7:03
WWU - Miller (Irving), 65:51
Shots: Western Washington 14, Seattle Pacific 17
Corner kicks: Western Washington 5, Seattle Pacific 5
Fouls: Western Washington 23, Seattle Pacific 17
Saves: Western Washington 7 (Broadbent 7), Seattle Pacific 6 (Dickinson 6)

Power showdown in women's soccer: SPU and Western tie

Sixth-ranked Seattle Pacific University, the defending NCAA Division II national champions, missed a chance to gain the upper hand in the race for the GNAC title, settling for a 1-1 tie in overtime against Western Washington on Wednesday night at Interbay Stadium.

By Matt Massey, Special to The Seattle Times

SPU's Janae Godoy is bowled over by Western's Kasey Hostetler in the first period of their game at Interbay Stadium.

It became more apparent who stands in the way of the dominance of Seattle Pacific University women's soccer.

Enter Western Washington University, last year's Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) champions.

Sixth-ranked SPU, the defending NCAA Division II national champions, missed a chance to gain the upper hand in the race for the GNAC title, settling for a 1-1 tie in overtime against Western on Wednesday night at Interbay Stadium.

Unfortunately, the Falcons will remember this one more for unfinished business after a loss to WWU earlier this season.

"I think they give us our biggest challenge," said SPU sophomore Brandi Hamre. "They definitely give us a run for our money and that helps us for competition in the tournament."

Hamre and the Falcons (7-1-1 GNAC, 14-2-1 overall) struck in the seventh minute on a 28-yard, left-footed shot that sneaked into the left corner of the net. Hamre's well-placed shot, on an assist from Jocelyn Charette, fooled Western goalkeeper Kylie Broadbent.

It was Hamre's third goal of the season and Charette's fifth assist of the campaign.

The tie extended Seattle Pacific's home unbeaten streak at Interbay to 42 matches, but the Falcons couldn't beat their biggest GNAC nemesis.

"A tie pretty much felt like a loss," Hamre said.

Seattle Pacific had its best chance in the 105th minute -- five minutes before the end of OT -- on Janie Wurth's knuckling 23-yard left-footed shot. But Broadbent made a diving, smothering save at the right post.

"With a 1-0 edge, you have to put that game away," SPU coach Chuck Sekyra said. "And then the keeper makes that great save. Got to pat her on the back. That's one of the better saves I've seen in a college soccer game.

"A ball bouncing like that should go in. ... How does a wrist keep the ball out of there?"

SPU is 36-3-3 during its successful two-year run, outscoring opponents 107-16. But against Western (7-1-2 GNAC, 10-4-3) during that span, the Falcons are only 1-2-2 and have been outscored 6-5 by the Vikings.

Western's Lucy Miller poked in a goal in the 65th minute of a cross along the end line from Kelly Irving to knot the score at 1-1.

Miller had subbed back into the game just 21 seconds before her goal.