Box Score    |     VIDEO: Isabel  Farrell

SEATTLE – The Falcons were not very welcoming to the newest conference member.
 
Goals from Simone Herzberg, Isabel Farrell and Hannah Huesers helped 18th-ranked Seattle Pacific deal visiting Concordia its first Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's soccer defeat, a 3-1 decision on Thursday night.
 
"It's a good win and that's a good team," said SPU interim coach Arby Busey. "Our energy was good from start to finish and that really propelled us to an outstanding result."
 
SPU (7-2-1) improved to 3-2-1 in league play in its initial meeting against the first-year conference competitor getting its introduction to Interbay Stadium.
 
The Cavaliers (7-2-2), from Portland, Ore., fell to 4-1-1 in GNAC games. They are in their inaugural season as an NCAA Division II member after previously participating at the NAIA level.
 
Entering the contest, the first-place Cavaliers had surrendered only four goals all season, and never more than one in a game. They feature the league's stingiest defense, a unit that is backed by goalkeeper Olivia Brock and her 0.25 goals against average.
 
"We had to work for that," Busey said. "That's not a team that gives up goals and we had to be really good in and around goal, which is something that we've struggled with. So it was really good to see the goals come tonight."


 
SPU compiled a 12-2 shot advantage during the first half and finally broke through with its 11th attempt.
 
Julia DeVere (Squalicum HS) sent a pass to Farrell (Interlake HS) who made a long dribbling run down the center of the field before slipping a pass to Herzberg (Portland, Ore.) in the left side of the box. The sophomore forward directed a 20-yard shot past the onrushing goalkeeper and into the upper right corner of the goal at 38:40 for her first goal of the year.
 
Herzberg nearly lit the scoreboard two minutes earlier, but her low shot was cleared off the line by CU defender Kianna Green.

 

Nearly nine minutes into the second half, the Falcons went ahead 2-0 on an eight-yard Farrell shot from a sharp angle on the right side. Passes from Huesers (Lake Stevens HS) and Mickayla Mury (Kelso HS) set up Farrell's second score of the season.
 
Concordia capitalized on a 62nd-minute free kick to cut the deficit to one goal. Shannon McMahon served a cross from the left side to the far post and Kayla Braunthal flicked it back toward the center of the goalmouth. Gabrielle Ewing found the ball during a scramble and poked it in for her second goal of the season.
 
Huesers added an insurance tally at 66:20 with her league-leading seventh goal. A great through pass from Kaytlin Willis found Huesers wide open in the right side of the box. With only the goalkeeper to beat, she slotted the ball into the left-side netting from 12 yards out.

 

Farrell and Huesers each contributed a goal and an assist for SPU. The dynamic duo is continuing last season's success that saw Farrell win the 2014 GNAC Player of the Year award and Huesers compile a conference-high 15 goals.
 
"They are a handful. We get to see them every day in practice and watch all that magic that happens," Busey said.
 
"They're fun to watch when they're playing like they were tonight. They both had a lot of fun, enjoyed the game, played relaxed and played free. When they do that they are a handful for anyone to stop. There's just not enough guys on opposing teams to deal with them both."
 
Huesers tops the team with 16 points, on seven goals and two assists. Farrell had distributed a team-high four assists and has scored twice.
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Molly Stinson (Woodinville HS) stopped three shots for the Falcons.
 
Brock was credited with six saves for the Cavaliers, who were on the short end of a 20-10 shot differential.
 
The win give SPU 10 points, good enough for a third-place tie in the standings. Concordia remains at 13 points with the loss, dropping to second place behind Western Washington's 15-point total.
 
"It was the first place team in the league and they deserved that and earned that through the games that they played. We knew that they were top of the table," said Busey.
 
"This does build some momentum for us going on the road here for four back-to-backs. Hopefully we can carry through some of the momentum that was built up tonight on the trip."
 
The SPU women hit the road for their next four games, beginning Saturday at Western Oregon. Kick-off is 11 a.m. at WOU Soccer Field in Monmouth.
 
The Falcons' next home game is Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. against Saint Martin's.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER
Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.
 
at (#18) Seattle Pacific 3, Concordia 1
 
Scoring – 1, SPU, Simone Herzberg (Isabel Farrell, Julia DeVere), 38:40; 2, SPU, Farrell (Hannah Huesers, Mickayla Mury), 53:33; 3, CU, Gabrielle Ewing (Shannon McMahon, Kyla Braunthal), 61:20; 4, SPU, Huesers (Kaytlin Willis), 66:20.
 
Shots – CU 10, SPU 20.
Saves – CU 7 (Olivia Brock 6, Team 1), SPU 3 (Molly Stinson).
Corner Kicks – CU 2, SPU 1.
Fouls – CU 7, SPU 4.
Offsides – CU 0, SPU 9.
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 7-2-1, 3-2-1 GNAC
Concordia 7-2-2, 4-1-1 GNAC
 
Next SPU Women's Game
Seattle Pacific at Western Oregon
Saturday, Oct. 10, 11:00 a.m.
WOU Soccer Field / Monmouth, Ore.