Seattle Pacific University’s women’s soccer team came out of the gate flying to start their season, not losing a game and outscoring opponents 26-4 through the first six games.

Even after all the early season struggles the team had to deal with, as a result of COVID-19, they are still coming out on top.

The team made the most of the extra time they had following the season’s postponement in the fall by fitting in extra practice.

“The things that we went through, throughout the fall and the beginning of the winter, have allowed us to sharpen our skills and be able to apply those skills to our games,” SPU women’s soccer coach Arby Busey said.

Busey thinks that the adjustments the team has made off the field have helped the team adapt quicker on the field during games.

The Falcons remain undefeated this season, and on the defensive side, did not give up a goal until their sixth game.

“There’s been a collective mindset defensively, throughout our entire team, that has allowed us to be better. One of the things about soccer is we play with eleven players and I think for the first time, in a long time, have had all eleven players on the field in lock step with each other defensively,” Busey said.

The Falcons’ defense is not the only part of their game that is strong this season, but they are playing well on offense also.

The Falcons have scored 26 goals so far this season and let the momentum from the defense fuel their offense.

“I think the offense and defense are so interconnected. We’ve always been a team that prides ourselves in our ability, once we win the ball, to keep the ball and pass and share the ball. This year we’ve amplified our ability to defend and I think that has created higher opportunities to attack,” Busey said.

On Saturday, the Falcons faced off in an exciting match against Western Washington University.

The game was filled with hard play and constant score changes. The Falcons started the game off strong, by leading the Vikings by two goals in the first half from senior Sophia Chilczuk and sophomore Chloe Gellhaus.

The Falcons were able to keep the Vikings off the board in the first half, but it was a different story in the second half. Seven minutes in, the Falcons gave up their first goal of the season to the Vikings on a goal by Estera Levinte.

The Vikings would later gain a 3-2 lead, but goals from SPU junior Makena Rietz and junior Mariah Alexander turned the tide back to the Falcons with less than 13 minutes left in regulation.

The Vikings were not ready to give up, and scored a goal with only 16 seconds left in regulation to tie the game 4-4. The game went to double overtime, and when no one scored again, the game ended in a tie.

The Falcons are now 5-0-1 and are set to face off against Saint Martin’s again on Thursday.