Hot times. The only thing seemingly hotter than the nationally-ranked Seattle Pacific University women's soccer team is the Arizona desert, and that's the destination for the team this weekend. The Falcons (10-1-2), now ranked 20th in NCAA Division II, ride the wave of a 10-game unbeaten streak into Phoenix for non-conference bouts with Grand Canyon (1-13-0) Saturday (Oct. 18) and Cal State San Bernardino (9-4-2) Monday at high noon (Oct. 20). Then comes a pivotal Great Northwest Athletic Conference home game Oct. 23 versus Seattle University.

Looking good, very good. Another pair of shutout wins last week propelled the Falcons to their first-ever national ranking and their best regional rating. They are now tied for No. 2 in the Far West along with Seattle U. and Cal State Dominguez Hills. UC San Diego occupies the top position. Cal State San Bernardino, is ranked seventh in the regional poll. The top four teams in the region will earn playoff berths in November. Seattle Pacific is trying to become the first Northwest team to reach the NCAA tournament.

Sitting on top. With five GNAC games remaining, the Falcons hold first place at 6-0-1, with one more victory than Seattle U (5-0-1). They posted 1-0 wins over Western Washington at home and Western Oregon on the road last week. The two teams meet twice in the final two weeks of the regular season. Humboldt State is parked in third place after tying the Redhawks. SPU won the GNAC crown in 2002 and was favored to repeat in a preseason coaches poll.

Multiple personalities. There are no players by the name of Cybil in the SPU midfield, yet it's definitely a group with distinctly different personalities, at least on the field. Sarah Melby (Jr., Mukilteo, Wa./Kamiak-Idaho), who plays in the middle as a holding midfielder, is the first line of attack as well as the defense. Her physical size and power game have figured prominently in the team winning or tying 24 of the last 25 games. In front of Melby is the more subtle Megan Lienhard (So., Everett, Wa./Cascade), a playmaker whose five assists is second on the team and fourth in the GNAC. Joining them is Shannon Lovejoy (So., Seattle, Wa./Seattle Prep), a cold-blooded finisher around the box. Lovejoy leads the team and the conference with eight goals. Alternating in the flank role are Allison Teague (Jr., Redmond, Wa./Bellevue Christian-Santa Clara) and Jessica Henson (Jr., Spokane, Wa./University). Together they have totaled five goals and four assists.

A face for the defense. Coach Chuck Sekyra credits his entire team for the defense which has dominated the season to date. The Falcons have allowed just four goals (only one in the last seven games). They rank No. 3 in national scoring defense and fourth in shutout out percentage. Last week it was goalkeeper Jennifer Hull (Jr., Eugene, Or./Sheldon) who got credit, earning her second GNAC player of the week honor this autumn. The play of Hull, her back four and the rest of the squad enabled the Falcons to win while only scoring twice (from 36 shots). Lovejoy scored the game-winner midway through the first half versus Western Washington and Heidi Jacobson (So., Bothell, Wa./Cedar Park Christian-Gonzaga) hit net with her fifth of the season at Western Oregon. Michelle Sanders (Jr., Centralia, Wa.) assisted on the latter, with her team-leading sixth of the season.

Footnotes. Sekyra is starting two freshmen and has only one senior, Nicole Ruiz (Sr., Federal Way, Wa./Federal Way-Barry). While injuries have limited Sanders to a reserve role in recent weeks, speedy rookie Theresa Morelli (Fr., Bellevue, Wa./Bellevue Christian) has stepped into the starting 11...Seattle Pacific has yet to allow a first-half goal...Hull, who made eight saves last week, leads the GNAC and ranks third nationally in GAA (0.29) and shutouts (9)...As a team, Seattle Pacific leads the GNAC in goals per game (2.62), fewest goals allowed (4), goals against average (0.30) and shutouts (10)...Individually, Lovejoy is first in goals (8) and second in points (19)...Sanders is second in assists (6) and seventh in points (12)...Jacobson is tied for fourth in goals (5) and points (14)...SPU has accumulated the fewest yellow cards in the GNAC (3)...Completing the tournament field this weekend is Seattle U...The SPU men's team will also be playing two games in Phoenix...The team record for consecutive games going unbeaten is 13, a streak which ended in the third game of this season.

Tickets, Please. Ticket prices for all SPU regular season home games are $5 for general admission, with students and senior citizens $3. Group and team rates are available by phoning (206) 281-2085 in advance.

SPU Coaching Staff. Chuck Sekyra was hired as the Falcons' head coach on Feb. 24, 2002. Seykra, an assistant at the University of Washington for three seasons, has close ties to the Puget Sound soccer community and to Seattle Pacific in particular. He is a graduate of SPU, played on two NCAA championship teams and was assistant men's coach from 1998-99. Sekyra is head coach of the Washington State girls ODP Under-16 team and a Region IV ODP staff coach. He was a starter on the '86 squad which became the first in Division II history to win back-to-back national championships. Returning to the staff for her second year is Julie Cain. New to the bench are Kevin Blokker and volunteer assistant Steve Miller.

Missing links. For the latest and best information on Seattle Pacific University athletics, stay where you're at -- on The Falcons Online. For updated standings and statistics, see the Great Northwest Athletic Conference web site.