The 2024-2025 year began early for student athletes at Seattle Pacific University. While classes were not set to begin until Sept. 30, competition for sports began in September and early August.
Women’s soccer competed in four non-conference games in September. They started strong with two consecutive wins against Sonoma State University (5-2) on Thursday, Sept. 5, and Cal Poly University Humboldt (4-0) on Saturday, Sept. 7. Both games were held on the College Creek Soccer Field in Arcata, California.
Juniors Taylor Krueger, Moira McKay, Kayla Wallace and Maya Parman and senior Lauren Snedeker each scored one goal against Sonoma State. Wallace was also the top scorer with two goals against Cal Poly Humboldt.
SPU’s following matches were held at the Falcons’ home field at Interbay Soccer Stadium. On Thursday, Sept. 12, SPU lost 0-4 against Hawaii Hilo University. On Saturday, Sept. 14, SPU tied 2-2 in their game against Chico State University. McKay and Wallace each scored one goal for the Falcons against Hawaii Hilo.
Women’s soccer’s next match will be their first in-conference game on Thursday, Sept. 26 against Montana State University Billings at the Yellowjacket Soccer Field in Billings, Montana.
Men’s soccer began non-conference play on Thursday, Sept. 5, against Sonoma State, winning 2-0. Top scorers were senior Raymundo Mendez and fifth-year senior Judah Johnston scoring one goal each.
The Falcons’ following two games were losses against Chico State (1-2) and Dominguez Hill University (2-6) on Saturday, Sept. 7, and Thursday, Sept. 12. Johnston scored the team’s sole goal against Chico State. Mendez scored both goals against Dominguez Hill.
SPU tied 0-0 against California State University Los Angeles on Saturday, Sept. 14. These first four games were held at Interbay Stadium. The Falcons will not return to their home field until their second in-conference game on Saturday, Oct. 5, against Western Washington University.
Until then, the SPU’s next matches are away games against Regis University on Thursday, Sept. 19, and Westminster University on Saturday, Sept. 21, at Dumke Field in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Men’s soccer will have their first in-conference game on the road against Saint Martin’s University on Thursday, Oct. 3, on the SMU Soccer Field in Lacey, Washington.
Women’s volleyball had two exhibition matches in August: a 0-3 loss on Saturday, Aug. 24, to Seattle University and a 3-0 win against Puget Sound University on Saturday, Aug. 31.
At the start of September, the team competed in the 2024 Yotes Classic Showcase hosted by California State University San Bernardino at Coussoulis Arena in San Bernardino, California. Their first match of the tournament was a 1-3 loss against Cal State San Bernardino on Thursday, Sept. 5. Top scorers were seniors Erin Smith (9 points), Sydney Perry (8 points), and Allison Wilks (7 points).
Cal State LA, who won the tournament overall, was the Falcons’ next matchup on Friday, Sept. 6, where SPU lost 2-3. Top scorers against Cal State LA were Perry (12), sophomore Coco Barnett (8), and senior Hannah Hair (7).
The Falcons lost their remaining two games 1-3 against Cal Poly University Ponoma and Biola University on Friday, Sept, 6, and Saturday, Sept. 7. Top scorers against Cal Poly Ponoma were Barnett (9), Wilks (8), and Perry (8). Perry (7), Barnett (5), and Wilks (3) were also the Falcons’ top scorers against Biola.
From Friday, Sept. 13, to Thursday, Sept. 14, SPU competed in the Colorado Premier Challenge at the Regis Field House in Denver, Colorado. The Falcons played twice on Friday, Sept. 13, against Lewis University (0-3) and Concordia St. Paul University (0-3). Top scorers against Lewis were Perry (8), Smith (8), and Barnett (7). Against Concordia St. Paul, Hair (8), Barnett (8) and Wilks (3) were the top scorers for SPU.
On Thursday, Sept. 14, the Falcons played against University of Missouri St. Louis (1-3) and Central Missouri University (1-3). Wilks (15 points in game one; 9 points in game two), Hair (10 in game one; 11 in game two) and Perry (9 in game one; 8 in game two) were the top scorers in both games.
Women’s volleyball’s next game will be away at the Alterowitz Gymnasium in Billings, Montana, against MSU Billings on Saturday, Sept. 21. This will be the team’s first in-conference game.
Men and women’s cross country had their first race on Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Green River Invitational at Fort Steilacoom Park in Steilacoom, Washington.
SPU’s women’s team finished in third place with a team score of 81 behind University of Portland and WWU. Top runner for the women’s was fifth-year senior Annika Esvelt, who finished second with a time of 13:08.6. SPU’s men’s team finished in eighth place with 241 points. Top runner for the men’s was sophomore Silas Demmert, who finished at 18:51.4 in 51st place.
Cross country’s next race is the Bill Roe WWU Classic on Saturday, Sept. 28, at Hovander Homestead Park in Ferndale, Washington.
Women’s golf competed in their first competition on Saturday, Sept. 14, in the George Fox Dual Match at the Langdon Farms Golf Club in Aurora, Oregon.
The team’s top scorers were junior Brigitte Fenton, sophomore Zoe Garcia, and junior Sara Rhodes. Fenton posted 39 stokes on the front nine and 40 strokes on the back nine, coming off with a total of 79 points, a team-best for the Falcons. Garcia hit 40 on the front nine and 42 on the back nine, and Rhodes hit 44 on the front nine and 41 on the back nine.
In her collegiate debut, freshman Natalie Eklund scored the best of the team on the front nine with 38 strokes.
The Falcons finished the day with a team score of 326 points. Their competitor, George Fox, who won the Division III national championship in 2023, won the match with 297 points.
Their next outing is from Sept. 21 to Sept. 22 at the Saint Martin’s Grisham Memorial Shootout on The Home Course in DuPont, Washington.
