Complete Weekly Release PDF Version

All Press Releases

Win & move on. Six years after its inception and having made the playoffs the last four years running, the Seattle Pacific University women's soccer team finds itself knee-deep in the postseason once again. The 18th-ranked Falcons (16-4-0) take flight to sunny La Jolla,Calif., for the NCAA Division II Far West Regional, only to face familiar faces from across town. Thursday afternoon (Nov. 2) SPU is paired with 11th-ranked Seattle University (15-2-2) in the first semifinal. Host school and No. 3 UC San Diego (18-1-2) plays Western Washington (14-4-1) in the nightcap. Winners move on to the Saturday afternoon (Nov. 3) final. The Far West winner advances to play at the Midwest victor in a Nov. 11 quarterfinal game. The Final Four is Nov. 16-18 in Pensacola, Fla.

No stranger to November. Since the program kicked-off in 2001, Seattle Pacific has rapidly risen to national prominence. The Falcons have won the Great Northwest Athletic Championship four times, and reached the NCAA tournament in each of the four years under Coach Chuck Sekyra. Seattle Pacific finished as runner-up in NCAA II in 2005 after defeating UC San Diego 2-0 for Far West Region title. This week’s games bring Sekyra & Co. back to the site of their first-ever postseason game in 2003.

Young guns. A year ago, there was a bit of mystique to SPU upon opening the playoffs: Unbeaten, playing at home, lots of experience and playing at home. This time around there is probably less pressure. Sekyra’s squad is young, with six sophomores and freshmen in the starting 11 the last time out. And they figure to get stronger and stronger, if not in the postseason then certainly next season. The defense has allowed just one goal in the last four games and the attack averaged 3.2 goals during a six-game October win streak.

Kudos all around. Five players received all-GNAC recognition by a vote of the coaches. Last season’s player of the year, Sarah Martinez (Jr., Bothell, Wa./Cedar Park Christian), made the first team for the third year in a row while central defender Carolyn Nason (Sr., Lafayette, Co./Broomfield-Metro State) and midfielder Kara Hamby (Jr., Spokane, Wa.Mead) joined her for the second year in a row. Injuries took a toll on Martinez, forcing her to miss three games yet she still tops the team in total points (23). Hamby and Nason figure prominently in a defense which has held 16 opponents under two goals. Making the second team were midfielder Shannon Oakes (So., Boise, Id./Boise) and forward Alex Kirk (Fr., Edmonds, Wa./Edmonds- Woodway), the co-freshman of the year. Oakes fired three game-winning goals and Kirk shared the lead in goals (8) with Martinez.

D-Rules. Two basic ingredients to postseason success are depth and defense. Sekyra’s back four of Nason, Mollie Taylor (Sr., Westlake Village, Ca./Oaks Christian), Katie Taylor (So., Vancouver, Wa./Colum. River) and Claire Grubbs (So., Sterling, Va./Potomac Falls) held last week's opponents to 19 shots. All four have played in the postseason before with K-Taylor and Nason starting last year. Keeper Katie Ruggles (Sr., Eugene, Or./South Eugene) earned her GNAC-leading eighth shutout in a 2-0 win at Central Washington.

Them, again. Three of the four regional contestants are no strangers to the postseason. UC San Diego, atop the Far West rankings for the final four weeks of the regular season, claimed national championships in ‘00 and ‘01 and was runner-up to SPU in the region last season. The Tritons are coming off a 4-0 victory over Chico State in the CCAA Conference Championships and have an unbeaten run of 13 games. Seattle University won its first GNAC Championship in four years with a 1-0 overtime victory over Seattle Pacific in the regular season finale. The Redhawks won the regional title in ‘04 but did not qualify last year. Making the playoffs for the first time is Western Washington. The Vikings beat both SPU and SU, and lost only once in their final nine games.

Throw-ins. Of the Falcons’ previous eight playoff games, six have been decided by one goal or a tiebreaker...LiveStats will be available online for all regional games this week, with a link at The Falcons Online...Ironically, when SPU and Seattle U. last met in the playoffs of ‘05, the Redhawks prevailed after dropping both regular season meetings, including a 4-0 drubbing a week earlier...Martinez is third in GNAC total points and fourth in assists (7). She and Kirk are tied for No. 3 in goals. Ruggles is second in goals-against (0.71)...Receiving honorable mention in the GNAC balloting were forward Kayla Stiegemeier (Fr., Rathdrum, Id./Lakeland), midfielder Meredith Teague (So., Redmond, Wa./Bellevue Christian) and Jessica Gerstmann (Jr., Puyallup, Wa./Cascade Christian), who has started in several positions...Janae Godoy (Fr., Yakima, Wa./West Valley) joined fellow frosh Kirk and Stiegemeier in the starting lineup at Seattle U., and nearly scored on a second-half header...Tricia Loomis (Jr., Des Moines, Wa./Mount Rainier) came off the bench to score in the 85th minute and Kirk added another in the 88th at Ellensburg...GNAC teams are 14-7 against CCAA opponents. UC San Diego has two of the CCAA's seven wins. SPU was SPU was 5-1 against CCAA foes...The top seed in the Midwest is Metro State (Co.). SPU advanced on penalties after tying the Roadrunners in the quarterfinal round last year.

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.