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Blake Dahlin

Hailee Bennett shoots a free throw during the first period of the Falcons victory over Puget Sound on Saturday.

This Week in Falcon Sports

Seattle Pacific University’s women’s soccer team secured second place in the conference after a 2-1 win over Western Oregon University Saturday, Nov. 2. Freshman Marissa Bankey’s goal in the second overtime was the difference in the game.

The team lost to Western Oregon earlier in the season.  

Head Coach Arby Busey thought the difference in this game had to do with the Falcons being at home.

“We talked about just trying to utilize all that was here to our advantage to solve this team this time, and I think we did a decent job of that today,” he said.

The stats suggested that the Falcons would win the game, as they outshot WOU 22-5 throughout the game. They got off to a good start 30 minutes in as freshman Chloe Gellhaus ran onto a pass from junior Sierra Smith and pushed it past the goalie and into the net. 

The Wolves of Western Oregon only had one shot during the entire second half, but they made it count. Isabelle Creighton slipped a shot past Falcon goalie Riley Travis to tie the game.

It would remain that way until the 107th minute, when Bankey collected the ball off a corner kick and fired a shot toward the goal. A Wolves defender attempted to get in the way of the shot, but the ball bounced off her head and into the net, giving the Falcons the win.   

“I think at the end there, you’re just hoping that you get another chance,” Busey said. “The more you miss, the more the odds are in your favor to make the next one.” 

“I think you just gotta stay positive and create that next chance, and hope that that’s the one that solves it for us, and fortunately, we found the solution today,” he continued.

There are two games remaining for the team, including a matchup with first place Western Washington University on Nov. 7.

“It’s a group that, when we went up there and played, was absolutely lethal in front of goal. We’re going to have to defend really, really well to give ourselves a chance in that game,” he said. 

Equally as dangerous is the men’s soccer team of Western Washington, which the Falcons men’s soccer team found out last week, suffering a 4-0 loss. The Vikings scored goals from Ryan Schaefer, Camron Miller, Johan Espinoza and Alex Whiting for the win. 

The men’s soccer team got a key win later in the week, beating Simon Fraser University on the road 2-1. It marked the first time the Falcons beat SFU on the road since 2014. 

The game did not start well, as Simon Fraser scored just two minutes into the contest. Bjorn Borren received a pass from Mark Talisuna and tapped the ball into the net.

But, the Falcons responded. In the 33rd minute, junior Sam Malloch took a pass from junior Titus Grant and deposited it into the net, tying the game. 

The Falcons made their only shot of the second half count. Grant converted a penalty kick after he was fouled in the box by Joey Mijaljevic, marking his team-leading eighth goal of the season. 

Falcon sophomore goalie Lars Helleran made five saves for the win.

Falcon volleyball extended their winning streak to 6 matches for the first time since 2011 after beating both Western Oregon and Concordia Portland this week. 

There were some close games, but the Falcons swept WOU by scores of 25-23, 25-18 and 25-23. Junior Maddie Batiste had 11 kills and senior Mallie Donohoe had 19 digs. 

Batiste and Donohoe would again lead the team in kills and digs as the Falcons beat Concordia three matches to one. 

The Falcons won the first two sets by close margins, but Concordia rallied to win the third set to give themselves a chance. The Falcons put the match to bed in the fourth set, winning it 25-19.

The team will attempt to continue their winning streak at home next week, beginning with a matchup against the fifth-ranked team in the nation, Western Washington University, on Nov. 7.

The women’s basketball team began their season with an exhibition matchup against the University of Puget Sound, beating them 76-63. Junior forward Ashlynn Burgess paced the Falcons with 23 points, followed by 12 from junior Abril Rexach Roure, 11 from senior Madi Hingston and 10 from sophomore Rachel Berg.