Friday, November 8, 2013

TUKWILA, Wash. – When the final whistle sounded on Oct. 12, Seattle Pacific shook its head in disbelief as an own goal cost them a 2-1 result against Western Washington.

Thursday evening, it was an own goal in SPU’s favor that pushed the Falcons to a 2-1 victory, and earned them a rematch with the No. 10 Vikings.

For the third time this season, SPU fell behind CWU within the first 13 minutes of a match. The two previous times, the Wildcats held off SPU’s comeback efforts, emerging with a pair of 1-0 victories during the regular season.

This match was different however, as the Falcons earned a penalty kick in the second half that was converted by Ashley Shaw to even the score at 1-1.

“At halftime we just talked about how we weren’t really playing our game,” Shaw said in a postgame interview. “We knew if we lost our season would be over, and you could really feel the intensity pick up on the field in the second half.”

SPU continued to create chances into the final 10 minutes of play, and the eventual game-winner came as a result of a loose ball in the box that bounced off of a CWU defender.

The path to the 2013 Championship Match wasn’t any easier for Western Washington, as it took extra time for the Vikings to prevail over Western Oregon.

WWU avoided a collapse, after allowing a game-tying goal in the second half. The Vikings outshot the Wolves 21-3 in the match, but WOU held strong defensively and found a way to force the game into extra minutes.

Brina Sych, who missed four matches this season with an injury, drove home the game winner for WWU in the 93rd minute.

“We just needed to stay composed and keep playing the way we had been playing,” said Sych, a senior who was the 2012 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year.

“The team is a really experienced group of players and they have dealt with those types of situations before,” Viking head coach Travis Connell commented regarding the tight match against WOU. “Saturday will be a good rivalry match, and all these players will be putting everything on the line against each other.”

Saturday’s match is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash. Admission for the Championship Match is $9 for adults and $5 for students, children and seniors. Programs will be available for $1, and concessions will be sold at the event as well. Parking on Saturday will cost $5. 

The event will also be streamed live via the GNAC Stretch Internet portal with play-by-play commentary, and live stats will be provided as well.

For driving directions to Starfire Sports Complex and more information about the Championship Match, see the related links section on this article.