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Spartans still perfect

Trinity Western University improves to 7-0-0 after back-to-back 3-0 victories
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Trinity Western goalkeeper Kristen Funk set a new women's soccer program record on Saturday. The fifth-year goalkeeper has not allowed a goal in 475 minutes, a span of over five games.

It was a record-setting day for the Trinity Western Spartans women's soccer team.

The Spartans extended their Canada West unbeaten streak to 20 games, passing the previous mark of 19.

Trinity Western's last regular season loss was the first match of last season (Sept. 10, 2011). Since then, the team has gone 19-0-1.

Their most recent victories were on Friday against the Regina Cougars and Saturday over the Saskatchewan Huskies. Both were played on the TWU campus at Rogers Field by 3-0 scores and improved the Spartans — ranked second in the country — to 7-0-0.

Goalkeeper Kristen Funk also set a new standard, breaking her own school record for consecutive minutes without allowing a goal. Thanks to the back-to-back clean sheets, Funk has not allowed a goal in 475 minutes and counting.

She made four saves on Saturday and three the game before and has recorded six shutouts.

Against the Huskies, Natalie Boyd opened the scoring in the 16th minute for the only goal of the first half.

Trinity Western broke open the tight game with two late goals, in the 82nd minute from Jennifer Castillo off a corner kick from Jenna Di Nunzio and then five minutes later when Kristen Santema slid low to convert a perfect pass from Krista Gommeringer.

In Friday's contest, Nikki Bryne opened the scoring in the 18th minute, picking up a loose ball between centre line and the top of the Regina box and sending a perfectly placed ball under the crossbar.

The Spartans would put the game out of reach in the second half against the eighth-ranked Cougars.

Gommeringer scored in the sixth straight game, heading home a perfectly placed cross from Jilian Dietrich in the 53rd minute. Including Gommeringer's assist on Saturday, the rookie has eight goals and seven assists on the season.

Castillo got the game's final goal with a dozen minutes remaining, getting on the end of an Alicia Tesan free kick.

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The Spartans put their undefeated record on the line as they hit the road this weekend in Alberta.

On Saturday, the team is in Calgary against the Mount Royal Cougars (0-4-2) and on Sunday, in Edmonton against the Alberta Pandas (4-0-2).