Crosstown powers collide. Sole ownership of first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings and at least two weeks’ worth of city bragging rights will be on the line this week for the Seattle Pacific University women’s soccer team. The 13th-ranked Falcons (6-0-1/12-1-2), unbeaten in their last 12 games and winners of five straight, host crosstown rival and 21st-ranked Seattle University (6-0-1/11-3-1) Thursday night (Oct. 23). On Saturday (Oct. 25), SPU ventures to Idaho for a conference clash with Northwest Nazarene (2-5-0/4-8-0). The final home game of the regular season is Oct. 30 against Humboldt State.

The polls. Another pair of shutout wins catapulted the Falcons seven spots in this week’s NCAA Division II coaches poll. In the NCAA’s binding regional poll they are No. 3 in the Far West. UC San Diego, the No. 3 team in the nation, occupies the top regional position, followed by Cal State Dominguez Hills, SPU and Seattle U. The top four teams in the region will earn NCAA playoff berths in November. Seattle Pacific is trying to become the first Northwest team to reach the NCAA tournament.

Battle of the birds. With five GNAC games remaining, the Falcons are tied with the Redhawks for first in the GNAC standings with identical records of 6-0-1. Humboldt State (4-1-2) is the only other GNAC team in contention. A year ago, the conference crown was decided on the final day of the season, with SPU defeating the redhawks 2-1 to claim first place. This year’s outcome could be decided just as late; the two teams meet again Nov. 8 at Seattle U.

Show us some Lovejoy. In a season which has been dominated by defense, midfielder Shannon Lovejoy (So., Seattle, Wa./Seattle Prep) is providing a lot of offensive sparks. Lovejoy is currently on a scoring tear, cracking five goals in her last five games. She now leads the team and ranks second in the GNAC with 10 for the year. Her recent run of success has also given her the career lead in goals with 20. Lovejoy scored twice and had an assist in the wins over Grand Canyon (5-0) and Cal State San Bernardino (2-0) in Phoenix.

Help up front. Defenses dare not concentrate their efforts solely on Lovejoy because the Falcons pack some punch up front. Heidi Jacobson (So., Bothell, Wa./Cedar Park Christian-Gonzaga), who has two goals and two assists in the last three outings, is now fourth in the GNAC with six goals. Her running mate at forward, speedy freshman Theresa Morelli (Fr., Bellevue, Wa./Bellevue Christian), netted a pair of goals against Grand Canyon and has five altogether.

Seamless defense. In Seattle U., the Falcons will be facing the top offensive power in the GNAC. On the flipside of that equation, the Redhawks will be facing the No. 3 defense in the nation. Seattle Pacific has allowed only give-up 0.26 goals per 90 minutes and only one goal has gone in the net in the last 10 games. Coach Chuck Sekyra uses a flat-back four defense–Nicole Ruiz (Sr., Federal Way, Wa./Federal Way-Barry), Mollie Taylor (Fr., Westlake Village, Ca./Oaks Christian), Michelle Everson (So., Tacoma, Wa./Stadium) and Katie Lim (Jr., Hillsboro, Or.)–in front of goalkeeper Jennifer Hull (Jr., Eugene, Or./Sheldon). Together they have allowed only four goals in 15 games, blanking 12 opponents. It’s not just a matter of shot-stopping (Hull made only four saves in Arizona); Seattle Pacific simply has not allowed teams to penetrate the attacking third with any regularity.

Footnotes. Michelle Sanders (Jr., Centralia, Wa.), who entered the season as the career goals leader, remains first in total points with 54. Lovejoy is next with 49...Sanders and Jacobson are tied for third in GNAC assists with six apiece. Lovejoy is second in points (24) and tied for the lead with four game-winning goals. Hull’s league-leading GAA is 0.22 and she is also first with nine shutouts... SPU has out-scored visitors to Interbay 23-1 this season. In their last 26 games, the Falcons’s record is 22-1-3...Everson managed a goal on the offensive end in the Grand Canyon match and Taylor garnered an assist on another...Allison Teague (Jr., Redmond, Wa./Bellevue Christian-Santa Clara), part-time starter in midfield, missed the San Bernardino game after taking a slight blow to the head versus Grand Canyon...Sekyra is starting two freshmen and has only one senior, Ruiz...As a team, SPU leads the GNAC in fewest goals allowed (4), goals against average (0.26) and shutouts (12). It is No. 2 in goals (41) to Seattle U.

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.