Saturday, November 18, 2023
by Thomas Lal

Seattle, Wash. –  Seattle Pacific is moving on to the third round of the NCAA Division II women’s soccer west regionals after defeating Cal State LA 1-0 on home turf at Interbay Stadium.

The No. 2 seed Falcons shutout the No. 3 seed Golden Eagles with a stellar performance in net by sophomore goalkeeper by Mercedes Cullen who posted her sixth clean sheet of the season. Cullen made five saves against eight total shots to improve to 10-1-4 on the campaign.

After a first half that featured just seven total shots, including four by SPU, the Falcons came out the gates firing on all cylinders in the second frame, outshooting Cal State LA 8-5 through the final 45 minutes. That shot production paid off in the 56th minute as sophomore forward Taylor Krueger drove down the right wing and snapped off a cross that senior forward Lauren Forster punched into the back of the net through a scrum of bodies.

In a battle between the best offensive team in the GANC and one of the top defensive teams in Division II, Forster’s goal was the third of her season and marked just the 10th time this year that the Golden Eagles have conceded a goal.

That goal was the only all that SPU needed to punch its ticket to the third round of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championships. Saturday’s match also featured the return of GNAC Player of the Year Sophie Beadle for the most minutes she has played since Oct. 14. Beadle finished the afternoon with 28 minutes under her belt and provided an immediate impact for the Falcons driving play in the midfield and up the right wing.

Along with Cullen, the Falcons had a trio of defenders play the full 90 minutes in junior Kathryn Nyone, senior Mackenzie Aiken and freshman Kailalani Ahuna. That back line proved vital down the stretch as the usually defensively oriented Cal State LA began to throw more players into the attack. Junior midfielder Lauren Snedeker also played every minute of the match, finishing with two shots while patrolling the congested midfield.

With the victory, Seattle Pacific (13-3-5) advances to the third round of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championships where it will face No. 1 seed Point Loma (13-3-1) in a location that has yet to be determined. The win also marks the furthest that the Falcons have advanced in the postseason since winning the NCAA West Region title in 2021.