Nobody’s perfect. Nobody’s perfect, but going into the second half of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule and the final seven women’s soccer regular season games, Seattle Pacific University’s record is still something to behold. The No. 2-ranked Falcons (5-0-1/12-0-1) face one more road match before settling back into their home turf of Interbay Stadium. In the only action this week, they tangle with Western Washington (4-2-0/7-4-0) Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 12) to finish out a stretch of three consecutive road games. SPU returns home Oct. 19 to host Simon Fraser.

Looking good. Seattle Pacific is now four points ahead of its closest challenger in the GNAC standings as it seeks a third straight title. Meanwhile, in the race for the top seed in the Far West Region, UC San Diego stayed close on the Falcons’ tailfeathers with a pair of resounding victories. SPU is expected to retain the No. 1 spot in the NSCAA regional coaches poll and the No. 2 position nationally, behind Metro State (Co.), which won twice last week to go to 13-0-0.

Streaks stay alive. Coach Chuck Sekyra’s squad sputtered for the first time, being held to a 1-1 draw at Central Washington to begin last week. But the Birds rebounded in convincing fashion three days later, dropping arch-rival Seattle University in an intracity showdown, 2-1. With those results, SPU’s regular season unbeaten streak reached the half-century mark (47-0-3) and the conference string is now 38 straight (35-0-3) without a loss.

Depth perception. One year ago, the Falcons were unstoppable throughout the regular season, going unbeaten in 12 GNAC outings and emerging victorious in their final 13 regular season games. Still, it came at a cost as Sekyra lost his top scorer for both playoff games and several other starters were hurting. Consequently, he used great care and attention when restocking his shelves in the offseason. The objective was to develop depth, and on the even of the season Sekyra claimed that he could substitute at any or all positions with no drop-off in quality. That certainly held true last week. With Michelle Everson (Sr., Tacoma, Wa./Stadium) sidelined at Seattle U. and fellow All-American Shannon Lovejoy (Sr., Seattle, Wa./Seattle Prep) able to play only a portion of the game, it was the nonstarters who shone brightest, accounting for both goals as the Falcons avenged their only defeat of ‘04.

Cannon for an alarm. Scoreless after 57 minutes, it was a cannon shot which awoke the Falcons against Seattle U. Reserve forward Tricia Loomis (So., Des Moines, Wa./Mount Rainier) stepped into a ball and promptly pounded it 22 yards, into the upper right corner for the game’s first goal. Tasked with marking the Redhawks’ top playmaker Ashley Porter, backup midfielder Allison Teague (Sr., Redmond, Wa./Bellevue Christian/Santa Clara) figured in both goals. Teague won the ball and fed Loomis on the first, then she took a pass from Shannon Oakes (Fr., Boise, Id./Boise) and looped it long into the far corner for what proved to be the game-winner.

Defense has depth too. Playing without Everson was no small task for Sekyra’s back line, and the starting foursome of Claire Grubbs (Fr., Sterling, Va./Potomac Falls), Carolyn Nason (Jr., Lafayette, Co./Broomfield), Mollie Taylor (Jr., Westlake Village, Ca./Oaks Christian), and Jean Kolb (Sr., Eugene, Or./South Eugene) came within three minutes of their fifth shutout in seven games. On the week, goalkeeper Jen Burns (Fr., Boise, Id./Capital) made eight saves but gave up two goals. Her 0.44 goals-against average continues to lead the GNAC. Saturday, Sekyra’s back four became the back seven, as Meredith Teague (Fr., Redmond, Wa./Bellevue Christian), Jeanne Webster (So., Bothell, Wa.) and Katie Taylor (Fr., Vancouver, Wa./Columbia River) helped shield Burns from a 12-shot shower in the second half.

Footnotes. After winning its previous four games by an average margin of four goals, the last three SPU games have been decided by one goal. The tie at Central snapped a formidable run of 11 straight wins. The record is 13, set last season...Besides her goal, Teague also had one shot hit the post and Nason headed off the crossbar in the first half...Heidi Jacobson (Sr., Kirkland, Wa./Cedar Park Christian) leads the GNAC in goals (10) and points (22) after hitting the 82nd-minute equalizer in Ellensburg. Sarah Martinez (So., Bothell, Wa./Cedar Park Christian) assisted on Jacobson’s strike and is tied for No. 2 in goals (8) and No. 2 in points (20). Lovejoy is No. 7 (14)...Burns’ five saves at SU was a season high...Before the Central contest, SPU ranked No. 3 nationally in goals-against average (0.36), No. 9 in offense (3.73 GPG) and No. 10 in shutout percentage (.64). Individually, Burns was fifth in goals-against average and Lovejoy was ninth in assists...The last loss was Nov. 13, 2004 against Seattle U. in the NCAA Far West Region Championship game. The last regular season loss was Sept. 1, 2003 at Cal State Dominguez Hills and last GNAC loss was Sept. 25, 2002 at Seattle U.

Coaching Staff. Chuck Sekyra was voted coach of the year for the second consecutive time in the GNAC after taking the Falcons to a league title, NCAA playoff berth and a 19-1-2 record in his second 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 men¹s coach from 1998-99. Sekyra was a starter on the Œ86 squad which became the first in Division II history to win back-to-back national 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 third year on the staff after previously coaching at San Francisco (his alma mater), Wyoming, Fresno State and Kansas. Chalise Baysa, Oregon¹s all-time scoring leader, is in her second season on the staff. She now plays for the W-League Seattle Sounders.

Tickets, Please. Ticket prices for all SPU regular season home games are $7 for reserved and $5 for general admission, with students and senior citizens receiving G.A. tickets for $3. Group and team rates are available by phoning (206) 281-2085 in advance.

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.