After a disappointing loss to Western Washington last Thursday (1-0), the fifth-ranked Seattle Pacific University (SPU) Falcons' rallied against the Simon Fraser Clan in a 0-0 double overtime tie Saturday night at Interbay Stadium.
The game saw tremendous defensive and goaltending efforts from both Falcon and Clan players, but neither team was able to score drawing the 0-0 tie.
Goalkeeper Maddie Dickinson had a lot to celebrate after a record-setting 26th career shutout performance, breaking the previous SPU career shutout record set by Jennifer Hull from 2001-03.
Dickinson tied the record of 25 last Saturday in the Falcons' 6-0 victory at Western Oregon.
"She was fantastic tonight," coach Chuck Sekyra said. "The one chance they had she snuffed out on the corner with a brilliant save." Dickinson recorded two saves against Simon Fraser to preserve her seventh shutout for the season.
"I have to give it to Jenn Hull," said Sekyra about the previous record holder. "Hull was a great player for a long time and somebody that I enjoyed coaching here.
"For Maddie to break her record says everything about Dickinson. What a great goalkeeper and great person. We need about 12 more shutouts from Maddie this year."
The Falcons (7-1-2, 4-1-1 GNAC) outshot Simon Fraser (4-3-1, 3-2-1 GNAC) by a 16-5 margin with Clan goalkeeper Amelia Ng coming up with six saves to keep SPU off the board.
"It's tough to get a tie tonight when we played very well and dominated the game," said Sekyra. "When you outshoot somebody 16-5 you expect a little more.
"But they sat behind the ball quite a bit, had a good game plan, looked to counter and kind of frustrated us with those numbers behind the ball."
The Falcons came out strong in the first half putting pressure on the Clan from the kickoff and creating a few close opportunities.
In the first period, the Falcons attempted five shots, the first from sophomore Megan Lindsay which was denied by Ng who made the save. The second shot came shortly after by freshman Mackenzie Laird which again was denied by Ng.
Three shots occurred in rapid succession towards the end of the first, a header shot from sophomore Hannah Masson and a shot from junior Brandi Hamre were both blocked. The last shot was attempted by junior Kelsey Jenkins which went wide left.
SPU controlled the possession for the majority of the first half, but were denied by SFU goalie NG who had six saves on the Falcons' six shots on goal.
The second half began just as the first did; the Falcons came out aggressive and kept consistent pressure on the Clan defense. The Falcons earned a couple corner and free kicks, but were unable to put any balls on net.
Dickinson's toughest save of the night came 29:24 in the first half on a header by SFU senior Lauren Lachlan. The shot ricocheted off of Dickinson's chest but she was able to quickly recover the ball.
SPU had several breakaway opportunities that came close to turning into goals; in one such opportunity with 4:40 left in the first overtime, sophomore midfielder Kendall Thoreson lofted a 23-yard free kick from the left of the penalty area. NG initially lost control of the ball, but was able to grab it again making the save.
Both teams saw chances to score as overtime began, but could not get anything going as play transitioned from one end of the field to the other.
Dickinson made a tremendous save on one shot from Clan freshman midfielder Sarah Fitzmaurice in the second overtime period.
Adrenaline was pumping for both teams as physical contact rose during the first overtime period drawing a yellow card each for both teams. Both teams came close to ending the game during the second period overtime with an overtime goal, but all efforts missed the mark.
"I'm really proud of my kids," said Sekyra. "We played hard and dominated that game.
"We were very organized, kept the ball and played our hearts out. We were the better team, but didn't get the result we were looking for."
The only ball that went into the net was one by Simon Fraser with 15:35 left in regulation time, but the offside flag was up well before the shot, and the goal was waved off.
The Falcon's next game is Saturday, Oct. 9, 11 a.m. at Central Washington, and then back home again at Interbay Stadium against Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.[[In-content Ad]]
