Opponent and Series Notes

Seattle Pacific is 5-1-0 in the series against Northwest Nazarene Crusaders, winning a fifth straight, 4-1 last year in Nampa...The Falcons are unbeaten (6-0-1) against Western Washington. The Vikings and SPU played to a scoreless tie in Bellingham last year, and SPU defeated WWU 2-1 at home Sept. 15 behind Jessica Henson’s (Sr., Spokane, Wa./University) game-winner nine minutes into the first half.

Sarah Martinez has caught fire lately, having tallied five goals in the last six games.

Six and rolling. Riding the wave of a six-match win streak and still unbeaten, the top-ranked Seattle Pacific University women’s soccer team continues its October road ways with a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference matches this week. After winning a couple California matches last week, the Falcons (4-0-1/12-0-1) fly to Idaho to resume conference play at Northwest Nazarene (2-4-0/5-7-0) Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 13). On Saturday evening (Oct. 16) there’s the van venture to Western Washington (3-2-1/7-4-1). Next week marks the end of the road, with a southern swing to Humboldt State and Western Oregon.

Still on top. After two victories against California Collegiate Athletic Conference foes over the weekend, Seattle Pacific boosted its regular season unbeaten streak to 30 games (27-0-3), and remained solid at No. 1 for the second week in a row in the NCAA Division II poll conducted by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. The Falcons, No. 22 in the preseason poll, broke into the nation’s top 10 on Sept. 5 and have not cast a backward glance. The run of six straight on the road began well enough. In Seaside, Calif., Coach Chuck Sekyra saw his squad dispose of Cal State San Bernardino 1-0, and return two days later to blank host Cal State Monterey Bay 3-0.

Back to the GNAC race. With the non-conference portion of the schedule now complete, the team can celebrate its perfect 7-0-0 record against CCAA teams. Now the race is on for the GNAC title and the two-time defending Falcons have their work cut out for them if they are to three-peat. Ninth-ranked Seattle University is just half of a game in back of the Birds with Western Washington in close pursuit. Also this week, the first NCAA regional rankings will be released. The top four teams in that final poll will make the NCAA tournament next month.

Martinez on fire. Since promotion to a starting spot at the forward position three weeks ago, Sarah Martinez (Fr., Bothell, Wa./Cedar Park Christian) has caught fire. Martinez, considered to be a leading GNAC Newcomer of the Year candidate, has tallied five goals in the last six games and is tied for the team lead in points (15) with Michelle Sanders (Sr., Centralia, Wa.). Martinez has seven scores on the season, including one in each California match. Last year’s scoring leader, All-American midfielder Shannon Lovejoy (Jr., Seattle, Wa./Seattle Prep) is third in points (14), and rates second in the GNAC in assists. Sanders assisted on Martinez’s second-half game-winner vs. Cal State San Bernardino and scored the first strike vs. Monterey Bay.

The D-Line. If NFL Football tradition held true with collegiate soccer, All-America goaltender Jennifer Hull (Sr., Eugene, Or./Sheldon) would owe her defensive line some dinners out. The back line of Katie Lim (Sr., Hillsboro, Or.), Michelle Everson (Jr., Tacoma, Wa./Stadium), Mollie Taylor (So., Westlake Village, Ca./Oaks Christian) and Carolyn Nason (So., Lafayette, Co./Broomfield) were perfect in California, holding opponents to just 10 shots (compared to 30 by SPU) and allowing no scores for the second week in a row. Hull owns the No. 4 goals-against average in the nation at 0.24. Teamwise, the Falcons have allowed just three goals in 13 games and the six straight shutouts ties a record set last season. With the scoreless streak now at 593 minutes, another shutout at NNU would eclipse the record of 649, also set in 2003.

Seaside Recap. At Monterey Bay, Theresa Morelli (So., Bellevue, Wa./Bellevue Christian) scored her second goal in the last four games with assistance from Lovejoy. Tricia Loomis (Fr., Des Moines, Wa./Mount Rainier) and Sarah Melby (Sr., Mukilteo, Wa./Kamiak) figured into a Martinez strike in the second half and Everson garnered her fifth assist of the year on Sanders’ game-winner. Starting midfielder Heidi Jacobson (Jr., Kirkland, Wa./Cedar Park Christian) is out of action indefinitely. Jacobson, the team’s No. 4 scorer and an all-region selection last season, suffered a rib injury in the San Bernardino match. Kara Hamby (Fr., Spokane, Wa./Mead) and Allison Teague (Jr., Redmond, Wa./Bellevue Christian) played extended minutes due to her inactivity.

Footnotes. The Falcons are 10-1-1 in their last 12 meetings with CCAA teams after starting out 1-6-2...Seattle Pacific’s 25-game GNAC unbeaten streak that dates back to Sept. 25, 2002 (25-0-2) will be on the line at Nampa...The last goal allowed was in the first half of the Sept. 18 1-1 tie at Seattle U. Chico State and Western Washington are the only other teams to find the SPU net...Statistically, SPU is first in the conference in goals-against average (0.23) and second in shutouts (10). Sanders and Martinez (15) are tied for fourth in GNAC points with Lovejoy seventh. Martinez is tied for third in goals (7) and Sanders (6) is fifth...Lovejoy (6) is tied for first in assists while Everson and Henson are tied for fifth with four each...Teamwise, the Falcons rate second in goals per game (2.33)...During Sekyra’s watch, SPU has won 29 of 34 games, posting 25 shutouts...The Falcons have out-scored opponents 20-3 in the first half this season and have not allowed a second-half goal (10-0)...The next home game, Oct. 30 vs. Northwest Nazarene, will kick-off at 7 p.m.

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 voted coach of the year in the GNAC after taking the Falcons to a league title, NCAA playoff berth and a 17-2-2 record in his first season. Seykra, an assistant at 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 was a starter on the ‘86 squad which became the first in Division II history to win back-to-back NCAA crowns. He is head coach of the Washington State girls ODP Under-16 team and a Region IV ODP staff coach. Goalkeeper coach Kevin Blokker returns for his second year on the staff after previously coaching at San Francisco (his alma mater), Wyoming, Fresno State and Kansas. Julie Cain is back for her third year. She both played and coached at Westmont. Chalise Baysa is new to the staff in 2004. She is Oregon’s all-time scoring leader and now plays for the W-League Seattle Sounders.

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.