Game on! Although the first classes are still more than a month away, the women’s soccer season shoots into full swing this week for Seattle Pacific University. The Falcons kick-off a three- game home stand to usher in 2006 with regular season play commencing at home Thursday night (Aug. 26) with the 2nd-ranked Falcons taking on No. 25 Chico State in a rematch of last year’s first-round NCAA playoff. Saturday (Aug. 28), SPU faces Cal State Monterey Bay before concluding the home stand Aug. 29 versus No. 19 Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Destination: Florida. Having gotten a taste of what its like to make a legitimate run at a national title, the Falcons and Coach Chuck Sekyra are hungry for another trip to the final four. Seattle Pacific came close to gripping the NCAA championship trophy in its fifth season of play, falling to Nebraska-Omaha, 2-1 in sudden-death overtime of the title game last season. Pensacola, Florida, is the site of this year’s championship, and despite losing six starters the Falcons may possess the necessary ingredients to get there. Sekyra calls this squad his most athletic in four years, and believes the team has another hot commodity: quality depth.

Big expectations, new look. After graduating a quartet of four-year starters, including national player of the year Shannon Lovejoy and past All-American Michelle Everson, Seattle Pacific will present a relatively fresh look this season. Sekyra secured a recruiting class of exceptional ability but even before the freshmen arrived it was clear that the Falcons would continue to be a formidable opponent. In the spring they were 3-0-1 versus Div. I and professional teams season, and the lengthy unbeaten streaks established over the last three seasons don’t appear to be in imminent jeopardy. SPU owns a 57-game (52-0-5) regular season unbeaten streak, and has not lost in 44 (40-0-4) consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference games. Not surprisingly, the GNAC coaches unanimously voted Seattle Pacific to win the title for the fifth straight season.

Familiar faces. Headlining the cast of returnees is forward Sarah Martinez (Jr., Bothell, Wa./Cedar Park Christian), the GNAC player of the year and a second team All-American. Martinez led the Falcons with 16 goals and 38 points. It’s often said that a soccer team’s strength begins with its spine, and Sekyra has solid veterans through the middle of his lineup. Anchoring his backline is all-region central defender Carolyn Nason (Sr., Lafayette, Co.). Another all-region pick, Kara Hamby (Jr., Spokane, Wa./Mead), returns to the holding midfield role, with Shannon Oakes (So., Boise, Id.) and Meredith Teague (So, Redmond, Wa./Bellevue Christian) in the attacking positions behind Martinez. Teague scored two goals and had an assist in the final three postseason games while Oakes gained a reputation for her accurate long-range blasts.

Stepping up. Sekyra attributes much of last year’s success to his deep bench, and now many of those reserves have an opportunity to fulfill key roles. Part-time starters Katie Taylor (So., Vancouver, Wa./Columbia River), Jeanne Webster (Jr., Bothell, Wa) and Claire Grubbs (So., Sterling, Va./Potomac Falls) are leading contenders to join Nason in the back four. Jessica Gerstmann (Jr., Puyallup, Wa./Cascade Christian) who moved from midfield to right back and excelled in the spring, is expected to use her speed on the overlap. Mollie Taylor (Sr., Westlake Village, Ca./Oaks Christian) is coming back from a knee injury which sidelined her for the second half of last season. Katie Ruggles (Sr., Eugene, Or./South Eugene) gets the nod at keeper after a solid showing in the semifinal playoff win and the spring season.

Opportunity knocks. Also up for grabs are the forward positions flanking Martinez. Tricia Loomis (Jr., Des Moines, Wa./Mount Rainier) was effective off the bench last season, scoring four goals. Alex Kirk (Fr., Edmonds, Wa./Edmonds-Woodway) got a head start last spring, when she was the team’s top scorer. Kayla Stiegemeier (Fr., Rathdrum, Id./Lakeland) is a speed merchant effective at breaking down defenses. A former U.S. youth international, Janae Godoy (Fr., Yakima, Wa./West Valley), will press for significant time in an attacking role as well.

Throw-ins. While the defense has consistently ranked among the national leaders (44 shutouts in three years) under Sekyra, the offense is on the rise, going from 54 to 60 to 70 goals...In the GNAC preseason coaches poll, Seattle Pacific was the favorite, receiving all six first-place votes. It was the third year in a row that SPU was tabbed as the unanimous favorite. Seattle University was picked second. The GNAC schedule is 10 games, with Humboldt State having departed to the CCAA. After one year as a club program, Saint Martin’s will join the soccer lineup in ’07, along with new GNAC member Montana State Billings. League play begins Sept. 13 at Western Oregon…Following a five-game road trip, SPU hosts a season long four-game home stand beginning Sept. 21…It’s possible that defender Jessica Pixler (Fr., Sammamish, Wa./Eastlake) could also run some cross country races this fall. Pixler was the state 4A champion in the 800 last spring and runner-up in the 1600...SPU scrimmaged Evergreen, Concordia and Washington last week...Former Idaho head coach Arby Busey joins the coaching staff this season. He was an assistant at Villanova, his alma mater, in 2005. Kevin Blokker and Chalise Baysa return to Sekyra’s bench.

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 $5 for general admission, with students and senior citizens $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.