One win away from title. A second outright Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championship is well within talon’s grasp as the 10th-ranked Seattle Pacific University women’s soccer team (10-0-1/16-1-2) lines up for its last regular season match. The Falcons, riding the crest of a 16-game unbeaten streak and winners of nine straight, visit Seattle University (9-1-1/14-4-2) Saturday afternoon (Nov. 8) to close out the regular season. NCAA Division II tournament pairings will be announced Monday (Nov. 10), and the Falcons expect to be among four regional teams to receive bids to play in the national tournament. The Far West Regional is Nov. 13 and 15 at a site to be announced.

Quite a ride. It’s been a heckuva ride for Coach Chuck Sekyra & Co. The Falcons have fashioned a national reputation for team defense, and have gone from being the new kid on the block to a top-10 team in this week’s national rankings. Following two more shutout victories, SPU moved up two spots in the poll and earned at least a share of the GNAC title, its second in a row. That should all but assure Seattle Pacific of a place in the NCAA tournament. It begins the final week of the regular season at No. 2 in the Far West, behind UC San Diego, the No. 3 team in the country. Cal State Dominguez Hills–the only team to defeat SPU–and Seattle U. are third and fourth, respectively. No Northwest team has reached the NCAA playoffs previously.

Streaks alive. The Falcons are owners of several very impressive streaks heading into the Seattle U. contest. In addition to the unbeaten run which began Sept. 6 and the win string which started Oct. 1, Seattle Pacific is unbeaten (18-0-1) in its last 19 conference games. It won all eight matches at Interbay to finish the home season undefeated (8-0-0). The Falcons out-scored visitors 26-1 on their home turf. In its last 28 games dating back to last season, SPU has lost just once and tied three.

Nationally ranked defense. Sekyra’s flat-back four has stymied opponents all season long. Mollie Taylor (Fr., Westlake Village, Ca./Oaks Christian) virtually shut down Humboldt’s top attacker, Jenna Hunter, denying her a single shot. Taylor’s two assists on the offensive end and her role in the team’s 14th and 15th shutouts earned her a share of GNAC player of the week. The NCAA record for season shutouts is 17. The squad’s lone senior, Nicole Ruiz (Sr., Federal Way, Wa./Federal Way-Barry) has anchored the backline, which also includes Katie Lim (Jr., Hillsboro, Or.) and Michelle Everson (So., Tacoma, Wa./Stadium). Goalkeeper Jennifer Hull (Jr., Eugene, Or./Sheldon) has not allowed a goal in conference play and is No. 1 nationally in both goals-against average (0.17) and shutouts (12). A testament to the team’s defensive capabilities is that opponents are averaging just 6.6 shots and forcing only 3.2 saves of SPU keepers per game.

Offensive dynamics. Not only does Seattle Pacific possess the top defense but the top goalscorer in the GNAC as well. Multi-talented midfielder Shannon Lovejoy (So., Seattle, Wa./Seattle Prep) added three more goals last week to take ownership of the season record for total points (34 and counting). She has scored in six consecutive games and her total 15 goals includes 10 in the last nine outings. Lovejoy is the consummate finisher and forward Heidi Jacobson (So., Bothell, Wa./Cedar Park Christian-Gonzaga), a prime candidate for GNAC newcomer of the year, is the creator of many a scoring opportunity. She has seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in the last seven games and is No. 4 in GNAC scoring. Last year’s conference scoring champ, forward Michelle Sanders (Jr., Centralia, Wa.), comes off the bench and leads the team in assists (9). Lovejoy, Jacobson, Sanders and speedy frontrunner Theresa Morelli (Bellevue, Wa./Bellevue Christian) have combined for 32 of SPU’s 51 goals.

Footnotes. NCAA regional pairings will match the Far West’s top seed (and probable host) against the No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in the first round...Midfielders Sarah Melby (Jr., Mukilteo, Wa./Kamiak-Idaho), Megan Lienhard (So., Everett, Wa./Cascade) and Jessica Henson (Jr., Spokane, Wa./University) have dished out 14 assists with a staggering 68 points between them. Henson scored the opening goal at Central while both Lienhard and Melby assisted on the first goal versus Humboldt last week...Lienhard missed the CWU game after taking a blow to the face versus Humboldt. She’s expected back in the lineup this week...Sanders brought her career leading points total to 61 with a pair of assists in the Central match. She’s also No. 1 in assists (23). Lovejoy is second in points with 59 and now has the career-leading goals total of 25...Individually, Sanders and Jacobson are third and fourth in GNAC assists (9, 8) while Lienhard is sixth (6)...As a team, SPU leads the GNAC in fewest goals allowed (5), goals against average (0.26) and shutouts (15). It is No. 2 in goals (51) behind Seattle U (53)...SPU has yet to allow a first-half goal this season and has been issued the fewest yellow cards (3).

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.