The eighth-ranked Seattle Pacific University Falcons earned a 2-0 win over Central Washington on Saturday, scoring both goals within the opening three minutes.
Junior forward Jocelyn Charette scored the first goal, her fifth of the season, with the game just over a minute old. Charette broke through the Wildcat defense after taking a through pass from sophomore Mallorie Gerstmann and pounded the ball into the net at 1:20 into the match.
Charette, known for her ball control and strong foot, then assisted on a second Falcon score, finding junior midfielder Janae Godoy in front of the Central goal. Godoy knocked the leather into the net from eight yards out for her second goal of the season at a mere 2:38 into the match.
"It was a wonderful start and they were two quality goals that were great finishes," said sixth-year SPU coach Chuck Sekyra. "It was great to have us come out like that.
"Jocelyn Charette was the complete package today, from beginning to end," Sekyra added. "She came out and took it upon herself to make a huge difference. She created some great chances for herself and others that were just awesome."
Central's best scoring chance came in the 64th minute when Gwenna Carie's shot caromed off the post.
The Wildcats increased the pressure on the SPU goal late in the game, attempting five of their nine shots during the final eight minutes. One of those shots, an 87th-minute try by Kaycie Hutchins, was collected by Maddie Dickinson for the Falcon goalkeeper's only save of the game. Dickinson picked up her sixth shutout, the 11th for the team.
The Wildcats were doubled up in the shot category. SPU finished with 18 shots to nine for CWU.
Western (13-2-1) and SPU (13-1-2) stand alone atop the standings of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, with Western in first place and the Falcons just behind, the victim of a 1-0 loss at Western Sept.20. However, the Vikings have lost two games to SPU's one, and thus are ranked 13th in the nation in NSCAA Division II, behind eighth-ranked SPU.
SPU also tops Western statistically, having scored 39 goals and yielded only six. Western has scored 33 goals and given up 12. Assuming the two teams continue their winning ways, it is an open question as to which might host the NSCAA regional tournament.
The SPU women return home this Saturday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. against Cal State L.A. (6-7-3) at Interbay Stadium. The match is the nightcap of a doubleheader with the SPU men (5-7-3), who face the Cal State L.A. men (11-3-2) at 4:30 p.m.
[[In-content Ad]]
