The Seattle Pacific women's soccer team fell short of avenging its only loss of the season Oct. 16, tying the Western Washington University Vikings, 1-1, in a thrilling double overtime contest.
But the high-flying Falcons (12-1-2), ranked sixth in the U.S. and first in the West, bounced back two days later to trounce the Northwest Nazarene Crusaders 6-0. Both games were played at SPU's Interbay Stadium.
On Saturday, Oct. 18, sophomore reserve Mallorie Gerstmann rose to the occasion with her first ever hat trick. Senior midfielder Meredith Teague, who leads the team in goals (9) and is tied for the lead in assists (7), started Saturday's scoring after a nice pass from co-assist leader Jocelyn Charette, with a blast from 10 yards out.
Sophomore Amanda Johnson and freshman Brandi Hamre also scored. Junior midfielder Janae Godoy had two assists on the day and two of her shots just missed the net, caroming off the crossbar. Hamre and fellow freshmen Kelsey Jenkins and Savanna Hanson also earned assists that set up Falcon scores.
The Falcons' match with Western Washington Thursday night under the lights was a fiercely-fought affair that saw several players on both teams go down with injuries. The Vikings racked up 17 fouls to the Falcons' 8.
Teague put Seattle Pacific on the board at the 15:50 mark when senior defender Katie Taylor sent a ball from the right corner to Johnson inside the penalty box. Johnson then delivered the ball to Teague, who drilled it into the back left corner of the net. The Falcons dominated play in the opening period, outshooting Western Washington by an 11-3 margin, and getting off six shots before the Vikings managed their first.
The second half was even harder fought than the first. Western shocked the home team in the first half minute of play with a quick long-distance goal, as WWU's Shelby Marcell air-mailed a pass from 40-yards out on the right side. The ball found the forehead of Kelly Irving at the left corner of the six-yard box, and Irving headed the ball into the net.
Western seemed reinvigorated by the sudden score and matched the Falcons in intensity the rest of the way, though SPU outshot Western in the second frame with 6 shots on goal to Western's 4. The Falcons outshot the Vikings 17-7 overall.
SPU goes on the road next to face Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene before returning home to Interbay to face Cal State Los Angeles at 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 1. Interbay Stadium is located on 17th Ave. W., just south of W. Dravus. Admission is $5, and $3 for students and seniors.[[In-content Ad]]
