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And a big game to boot. The longest home stand of the women’s soccer season concludes with a pair of intriguing matchups from within the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Sixth-ranked Seattle Pacific University (9-1-0/2-0-0) hosts upset-minded Central Washington (4-4-1/0-2-1) Thursday night (Sept. 28), and Saturday’s (Sept. 30) crosstown clash with No. 16 Seattle University (8-1-1/3-0-0) will likely determine the frontrunner for the GNAC title. A string of four consecutive road games begins Oct. 3 at Western Washington, another postseason contender.

Looking good. Coach Chuck Sekyra saw his Falcons overwhelm Northwest Nazarene 4-0 to begin the home stand, and two days later the young squad displayed strong character in a 2-1 decision over Grand Canyon. Those victories kept Seattle Pacific atop the Far West Region coaches poll. UC San Diego, Seattle U., Sonoma State and Western Washington round out the top five. Four teams from the region will qualify for the playoffs.

Love the turf special. Seattle Pacific pushed its Interbay Stadium unbeaten streak to 19 games (17-0-2) and the GNAC run of success has reached 46 games (42-0-4) without a loss. Both skeins began after losses to Seattle U. Over the home unbeaten stretch, the Falcons have outscored visitors 58-6, including 14-2 at Interbay this season. Since Sept. 25, 2002, SPU has not lost a regular season home game; the sole blemish was a 2-0 loss to the Redhawks in the 2004 playoffs. In Sekyra’s three-plus seasons as coach, only four GNAC opponents have managed to earn a draw, and all–including Central’s–have come on the road.

Kayla KO’s foes. At first, her last name may be tough to say, let alone spell. But now that Kayla Stiegemeier (Fr., Rathdrum, Id./Lakeland) is showing up regularly on the scoresheet, people are getting the hang of it. Stiegemeier scored a pair of goals versus Northwest Nazarene, then nodded home the game-winner versus Grand Canyon before a crowd of nearly 800 fans. Next thing you know, her name was on the GNAC player of the week certificate. Stiegemeier is now No. 2 on the team with five goals and 10 points.

She’s a winner. Sarah Martinez (Jr., Bothell, Wa./Cedar Park Christian) quietly claimed a school record last week when she netted the game-winning goal at Cal State San Bernardino. It was the 14th such game-winner of her career, which still has a ways to go. She surpassed Shannon Lovejoy, who still holds marks for career goals and points, and shares the standard for assists. Martinez also assisted on two of Stiegemeier’s goals and notched a another herself against the Antelopes. Coming off an All-America season, Martinez has six goals and 16 points.

Senior citizens. There’s every reason to believe that Seattle Pacific possesses the necessary pieces for another run at the NCAA Division II championship. There’s talent, depth, athleticism and leadership. And although the junior class has stepped up in the latter, Sekyra’s three seniors are doing their share, particularly on defense. There, Katie Ruggles (Sr., Eugene, Or./South Eugene), Carolyn Nason (Sr., Lafayette, Co./Broomfield-Metro State) and Mollie Taylor (Sr., Westlake Village, Ca./Oaks Christian) fill huge roles. Ruggles is the starting keeper while Nason is an All-America-caliber centerback. Taylor, coming off season-ending knee surgery, has bounced back and is pushing for a starting role on the outside. After allowing five goals in three early-September games, the defense has clamped down, yielding only two goals in the last five outings.

Hitting their stride. Another defender, Claire Grubbs (So., Sterling, Va./Potomac Falls), got into the scoring act against NNU. Grubbs got her first career goal in the 30th-minute and moments later earned an assist on a Stiegemeier strike. Midfielder Janae Godoy (Fr., Yakima, Wa./West Valley) had hit net to open scoring. Meredith Teague (So, Redmond, Wa./Bellevue Christian) raised her team-high assist total to five later in the game.

Throw-ins. Martinez is now No. 2 in career goals with 30, trailing only Lovejoy’s 42. She’s fourth in total points (71), needing eight to surpass Megan Lienhard...Originally thought to be out for the season, Jeanne Webster (Jr., Bothell, Wa./Bothell) made a return to back line action last week. Webster had been the opening day starter at centerback before suffering a knee injury...SPU ranks second in the conference in team shots, goals allowed, goals-against and shutouts. The Redhawks are first in the aforementioned categories…Individually, Shannon Oakes (So., Boise, Id./Boise) leads the GNAC in shots (4.10 pg) and is No. 6 in assists. She and Alex Kirk (Fr., Edmonds, Wa./Edmonds-Woodway) also got assists last week…Martinez and Stiegemeier are fourth and seventh, respectively, in GNAC points. Martinez is tied for first in goals per game (0.67)…Oakes, Ruggles, Teague, Jessica Gerstmann (Jr., Puyallup, Wa./Cascade Christian) and Kara Hamby (Jr., Spokane, Wa./Mead) are the only players to start all 10 games...All 22 players saw action versus Northwest Nazarene... The Falcons have only trailed seven times during their lengthy conference unbeaten skein. They have not allowed more than one goal to a GNAC foe in the last 45 games...GNAC teams are 13-7-2 versus the CCAA, with SPU, SU and WWU accounting for 12 of the wins.

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.