Opponent and Series Notes
Jacobson scored in the Falcons’ 1-1 tie at Central Washington Oct. 5. The Wildcats, who have managed only five goals in their last eight outings, trail the series 7-1-1...Loomis and Teague scored second-half goals in the game at Seattle U. Oct. 8. SPU owns a series edge of 5-4-1. The Redhawks, defending regional champions, visit Western Washington Thursday.
Seven seniors will be honored prior to Saturday’s kickoff. Top picture row, left to right: Shannon Lovejoy, Michelle Everson; Second row: Megan Lienhard, Allison Teague; Third row: Jean Kolb, Erin Pierce; Bottom row: Heidi Jacobson

Four-peat? A fourth outright Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championship is well within a talon’s grasp as the No. 2-ranked Seattle Pacific University women’s soccer team returns to Interbay Stadium for the final two regular season matches this week. The undefeated Falcons (8-0-2/15-0-3) host Central Washington (4-5-1/7-10-1) Wednesday night (Nov. 2) before the highly-anticipated intracity showdown with Seattle University (7-2-1/13-4-1) Saturday night (Nov. 5). NCAA Division II tournament pairings will be announced Nov. 7 and SPU is likely to earn a berth for the third year in row, and is the frontrunner to host the Far West Regional Nov. 10 and 12.

Looking back, looking ahead. It’s been quite a season for coach Chuck Sekyra and the Falcons. Since the program’s inception only five years ago, Seattle Pacific has become a national power and championship contender. SPU can clinch a fourth straight conference title outright with one more win or a Seattle U. loss. It has sat atop the Far West Region rankings all season and is unbeaten going into November for the second straight year. Behind the Falcons in last week’s NCAA ratings were UC San Diego, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State Stanislaus, Chico State and Seattle U. Four teams will receive regional postseason berths. Nationally, defending champion Metro State (Co.) is No. 1 with a spotless (20-0-0) record. The Roadrunners are riding a 42-game win streak that dates back to 2004.

Streaks still moving along. The Falcons’ regular season unbeaten run reached 55 (50-0-5) games following a 3-1 victory at Western Oregon and a 1-1 overtime tie at Humboldt State last week. They are undefeated in 42 consecutive GNAC contests (38-0-4). Seattle U. is the last team to defeat SPU, doing so by a 2-0 score in the second round of the 2004 NCAA tournament. The Falcons dealt the Redhawks a 2-1 defeat Oct. 8.

Martinez on fire. After the draw at Humboldt, the Seattle Pacific was back in rare form for Western Oregon, unleashing 22 shots. Sarah Martinez (So., Bothell, Wa./Cedar Park Christian), who scored the equalizer against the Lumberjacks, hit the net twice to push her the GNAC scoring lead with 13 goals and 30 points. Since having wisdom teeth extracted Oct. 14, Martinez has scored five goals in her last three games and her season total ranks No. 2 all-time.

Talented cast. Martinez figures to be one of several Falcons featured on the all-GNAC selections, to be announced next week. Two-time All-American and reigning GNAC Player of the Year Shannon Lovejoy (Sr., Seattle, Wa./Seattle Prep.) ranks No. 2 in assists, and will exit the program as the GNAC career scoring leader. Heidi Jacobson (Sr., Kirkland, Wa./Cedar Park Christian), who assisted on Martinez’ strike at Humboldt, has 11 goals and 28 points to rank No. 2 in the league. Megan Lienhard (Sr., Everett, Wa./Cascade) is fourth in GNAC scoring. Seattle Pacific ranks No. 4 nationally in scoring defense so it stands to reason that some key personnel will be rewarded. Goalkeeper Jen Burns (Fr., Boise, Id./Capital) leads the conference in goals-against average (0.47) and Carolyn Nason (Jr., Lafayette, Co./Broomfield) has scored five goals and stepped in to anchor a back line in the wake of several injuries, including the midseason absence of All-American sweeper Michelle Everson (Sr., Tacoma, Wa./Stadium). Kara Hamby (So., Spokane, Wa./Mead) has quietly but effectively influenced games by winning the ball and helping SPU dominate possession.

Footnotes. Seven seniors will be honored prior to Saturday’s kickoff. Lovejoy, Everson, Lienhard, Allison Teague (Sr., Redmond, Wa./Bellevue Christian-Santa Clara), Jean Kolb (Sr., Eugene, Or./South Eugene) and Erin Pierce (Sr., Milwaukie, Or./Rex Putnam) are four-year veterans while Jacobson lettered three years...SPU is 8-0-1 at home this season, outscoring visitors 36-3. It is undefeated in its last 20 (19-0-1) home GNAC games, dating back to 2002...Martinez is now chasing the single season record of 17 goals, set by Lovejoy in 2003...Sekyra praised his defense in both matches, as starters Claire Grubbs (Fr., Sterling, Va./Potomac Falls), Nason, Everson and Katie Taylor (Fr., Vancouver, Wa./Columbia River) kept opponents at bay. Western Oregon managed just two shots against SPU...Tricia Loomis (So., Des Moines, Wa./Mt. Rainier) had her first career two-assist game vs. the Wolves...Martinez is the GNAC leader in game-winning goals (4) and Jacobson is second (3)...Lienhard is No. 5 in points (22) and Lovejoy is No. 8, with 17 and second in assists (9)...Among national leaders, Burns was No. 5 in GAA last week. The team was No. 4 in scoring defense and 12th in offense...The team’s last outright loss was Nov. 13, 2004 against Seattle U. in the NCAA Far West Region title game. The last regular season loss was Sept. 1, 2003 at Cal State Dominguez Hills and last GNAC loss was Sept. 25, 2002 vs. Seattle U...The CCAA tournament at Cal State Stanislaus this weekend will certainly affect the seeding and selection in the region. UCSD plays Chico in the first semifinal Friday, followed by the host Warriors and Dominguez Hills.

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.