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Down to the wire. Three games remain. Playoff spots are at a premium. And the Seattle Pacific University women’s soccer team is poised to make the most of the situation. The Falcons (5-2-0/14-3-0) seek to keep building momentum and their case for NCAA Division II tournament qualification Saturday (Oct. 21) when they host Western Oregon (1-5-1/8-7-2) in their final home game. The final two regular season games are next week. SPU visits Central Washington Oct. 25 and it’s possible that the Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion could be determined Oct. 28 at Seattle University.

The amazing race. With the 3-0 win over Western Washington earlier this week, SPU snared itself a share of second place in the conference. Seattle University is unbeaten in the GNAC but faces both Western and Seattle Pacific next week. The Falcons must win their three remaining games to have any chance of claiming their fifth consecutive title.

Amazing race, Part Two. The GNAC standings may have some bearing on seeding for the Far West Regional tournament. Ideally, SPU would like to earn one of the top two seeds. By so doing, it would have a chance to either host the tournament for the third year in a row, or at least avoid playing the home team in the first round. Going into this week, UC San Diego is No. 1 in the region, followed by Seattle U., SPU, Chico State, Western Washington and Sonoma State. The Falcons have made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons and advanced to the 2005 NCAA championship match.

On a roll. Seattle Pacific is definitely building steam, both in terms of results and performance. It has won four in a row and scored 15 goals in the process, despite the absence of All-America forward Sarah Martinez (Jr., Bothell, Wa./Cedar Park Christian). At Northwest Nazarene, Coach Chuck Sekyra’s offense matched a season high for goals in a 5-2, come-from-behind victory. Back home against Western Washington, the Falcons got two late goals to put away the Vikings, avenging a 2-1 loss to begin the month.

Honor thy seniors. Prior to Saturday’s opening kickoff, Sekyra’s three seniors will be recognized. Carolyn Nason (Sr., Lafayette, Co./Broomfield-Metro State), Katie Ruggles (Sr., Eugene, Or./South Eugene) and Mollie Taylor (Sr., Westlake Village, Ca./Oaks Christian) all play prominent roles on defense. Nason was a 2005 all-region performer at center back, where she has started 63 of the last 64 games. Although plagued by injuries her last two years, Taylor has started each of her four seasons. Ruggles played a half of flawless goaltending in the semifinal game of the 2005 final four, and has started all 17 games between the poles so far in ‘06.

K’s come through. With Martinez sidelined with a knee-injury the past two games, Sekyra’s freshmen have come through in a big way. Alex Kirk (Fr., Edmonds, Wa./Edmonds-Woodway) and Kayla Stiegemeier (Fr., Rathdrum, Id./Lakeland) hooked up for a pair of goals at NNU, and both players hit the net versus Western. Kirk, who was the co-player of the week in the GNAC, has now scored in each of her last four games, totaling 12 points (five goals, two assists) over that span. Kirk’s 18 total points are second only to the 22 of Martinez. Stiegemeier is the team’s No. 3 scorer with 17 points.

Back four special. Sekyra’s backline of Nason, Taylor, Katie Taylor (So., Vancouver, Wa./Colum. River) and Claire Grubbs (So., Sterling, Va./Potomac Falls) held opponents to 10 shots in the last two games, and the shutout of Western Washington was remarkable in that it was the Vikings’ first of the season and it was Seattle Pacific’s first in four games. Ruggles made eight saves in the wins. Grubbs has returned from midfield to the back four after Jeanne Webster (Jr., Bothell, Wa./Bothell) was lost for the season to a knee injury and Julia Kern (Fr., Portland, Or./Jesuit) was sidelined with a leg injury. Mollie Taylor has come back into the fold, allowing Jessica Gerstmann (Jr., Puyallup, Wa./Cascade Christian) to bolster the attack. Both Grubbs and Nason scored off set plays in Idaho, and Gerstmann set-up Kirk’s second goal.

Throw-ins. Tricia Loomis (Jr., Des Moines, Wa./Mount Rainier) has assisted on three of the team’s last four goals, including two against Western Washington...Sekyra shuffled his lineup to account for injuries to Martinez, Kern and Webster. Brittany Stewart (Fr., Wilsonville, Or./Wilsonville) got her first starting call at Northwest Nazarene...Martinez’s condition has improved and she may return to the lineup by next week...Since moving back to midfield, Gerstmann has had a goal and two assists in three games. Oakes scored the opening goal vs. WWU…Oakes, Nason, Ruggles and Meredith Teague (So, Redmond, Wa./Bellevue Christian) are the only players to start all 17 games…Oakes ranks at the top of the GNAC in shots with 45…Ruggles is second in goals-against (0.71)…Team-wise, the Falcons rank second in shots (18.17), third in goals (2.42PG), and second in goals-allowed (0.67). They are tied with Western for second in shutouts (6).

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.