And away we go. Four years out of the chute, the Seattle Pacific University women’s soccer team finds itself unbeaten, No. 1 in the nation and hosting the NCAA Division II Far West Regional. Action starts Thursday (Nov. 11) with the Falcons (19-0-1) hosting No. 25 Chico State (11-5-4) in the semifinal nightcap. No. 18 Cal State Dominguez Hills (14-5-3) plays 15th-ranked Seattle University (14-3-3) in the 4 p.m. game. All three games of the regional will be played at Interbay Stadium, including the final on Saturday night (Nov. 13). The Far West winner advances to play at the Midwest victor in a quarterfinal game Nov. 20. The Final Four is Dec. 4 and 6, in Wichita Falls, Tx.

Unfamiliar territory. It’s literally been a meteoric rise for the SPU program. Since the inception of women’s soccer four years ago, Seattle Pacific has gone from being the new kid on the block to a national championship contender. Chuck Sekyra guided the Falcons to their third straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference title last week with 4-0 victories over Central Washington and Seattle U., and in doing so, added to SPU’s record for consecutive wins in a single season (13). The regular season unbeaten string has now reached 37 games (34-0-3) and the GNAC unbeaten streak is 32 matches (30-0-2). SPU has won 25 games in a row on its home field turf of Interbay.

Honors pour in. SPU nearly made a clean sweep of the GNAC major postseason awards. Shannon Lovejoy (Jr., Seattle, Wa./Seattle Prep) was voted the player of the year and Sekyra earned coach of the year honors for the second straight season. SPU also got the newcomer of the year award again, with defender Carolyn Nason (So., Lafayette, Co.) taking that honor. In all, SPU placed four players on the GNAC first team all-stars, another on the second team and three more received honorable mention. Lovejoy, an attacking midfielder, made the GNAC first team for the third time. Joining her on the first team were top scorer Michelle Sanders (Sr., Centralia, Wa.), freshman Sarah Martinez (Bothell, Wa./Cedar Park Christian) and goalkeeper Jennifer Hull (Sr., Eugene, Or./Sheldon). Sanders, like Lovejoy, a unanimous choice, is a three-time selection and Hull has made the team twice. Defensive midfielder Sarah Melby (Sr., Mukilteo, Wa./Kamiak) was second team all-conference. Last year’s newcomer award winner, Heidi Jacobson (Jr., Kirkland, Wa./Cedar Park Christian), Michelle Everson (Jr., Tacoma, Wa./Stadium) and Nason, a transfer from Metro State (Co.), received honorable mention.

Assists record falls. The fact that Everson plays on the back line can be deceiving to the casual observer, especially since she leads the conference in assists. Everson came forward to set-up two goals in the SU match, en route to breaking the school season record. A left-footer, Everson earned her 10th on a corner-kick to the head of Melby, and 11th on Nason’s goal late in the match. For her efforts, the fullback was named GNAC player of the week. The previous assist record of nine was set by Sanders last season.

Seniors go out in style. With eight goals scored in two matches last week, there were plenty of backslaps for the team’s seven seniors. Sanders, Melby, Jessica Henson (Sr., Spokane, Wa./University), and Karen France (Sr., Woodland Park, Co./Palmer) all hit net, with Henson scoring first in each match. Sanders and Leila Stalnaker (Sr., Auburn, Wa./Seattle Christian) garnered assists in the Central match as well. Not only did Henson, Sanders, and Jennifer Hull (Sr., Eugene, Or./Sheldon) score points on the field, but they were duly rewarded for their excellence in the classroom as well, earning Academic All-District 8 first team honors. Melby was named to the second team; Hull, Sanders and Melby were two-time selections.

Top billing for the defense. The SPU defense posted its 15th and 16th shutouts, just one shy of the NCAA season record of 17. Hull, last season’s NCAA leader in goals-against average, was solid at No. 2 last week, dropping her GAA to 0.22. Everson, Katie Lim (Sr., Hillsboro, Or.), Jean Kolb (Jr., Eugene, Or./South Eugene) and Nason anchored the back line and preserved Seattle Pacific’s status as national leader in scoring defense (0.25). Just four goals have been allowed in 20 games (SPU has scored 58) overall.

Footnotes. Lovejoy and Sanders are second and third, respectively, on the GNAC points list. Sanders’ 10 goals rates third also...Megan Lienhard (Jr., Everett, Wa./Cascade) hit net versus Central...Martinez returned to the lineup in the CWU match and nearly scored the first time she touched the ball. She missed four games with a knee injury, but still is the team’s No. 2 scorer with eight goals...Theresa Morelli (Bellevue, Wa./Bellevue Christian) capped the scoring against SU...The Falcons’ GNAC unbeaten streak dates back to Sept. 25, 2002 (Seattle U., 2-1, at Interbay). The last regular season loss was to Cal State Dominguez Hills (2-1, Sept. 1, 2003)...During Sekyra’s tenure, 30 of the 36 wins have been by shutout. SPU has not allowed a second-half goal this season...The only match which the opponent scored first was the initial meeting with 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 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.