August 27, 2009
SEATTLE --
Jocelyn Charette collected the ball in front of the goalmouth and directed it into the goal during the 65th minute Thursday as defending NCAA Division II champion Seattle Pacific opened the women's soccer season with a 1-0 victory over Cal State Monterey Bay at Interbay Stadium.
Sophomore
Karen Hosler (Portland, Ore.) sent a long through ball from the left side deep into the box. Charette (Lakewood, Wash./Curtis HS) and sophomore teammate
Kelsey Jenkins (Kent, Wash./Kentwood HS) were both in position to make a play on the ball. Charette got to it first and sent a seven-yard strike past Otters goalkeeper Andrea Davis at the 64:12 mark.
“That was a great ball served in to two wide open people,” seventh-year SPU coach
Chuck Sekyra described. “Jocelyn brings it down and just kind of roofs it into the upper corner.”
Charette nearly had a first-half goal, but her looping 35-yard shot caromed off the crossbar in the 20th minute. That was the second SPU shot denied by the frame as sophomore
Brandi Hamre (Bremerton, Wash./Central Kitsap) had a third-minute attempt nail the crossbar.
The top-ranked Falcons (1-0) are now unbeaten in their last 18 games (17-0-1) dating back to last September. SPU posted its 12th consecutive win and extended the current home unbeaten streak to 31 games (29-0-2), having not lost at Interbay since Sept. 30, 2006.
Senior goalkeeper
Jesslyn Rahm Kellerman (Eugene, Ore.) picked up the shutout, although she was not called upon to make a save. Kellerman ranks second among all-time SPU goalkeepers with 18 career shutouts, just seven shy of the school record of 25 established by Jennifer Hull from 2001-04.
Davis faced a 25-shot barrage and was credited with 10 saves for the Otters (0-1). SPU limited the visitors to just three shots, only one of them after halftime.
“We had a handle on that game the entire time. I just felt like that was our game and we put our stamp on it,” Sekyra said. “It's a game of inches sometimes and even if the ball doesn't go in, if you keep working hard like that those balls are just going to go in.
“I don't mind that we didn't score all of those goals tonight. What I like is that we created a ton of chances and that, at the end, is what is important to me. I know we have kids who can finish.”
The 1-0 score matches the result from last year, when the Falcons played at Monterey Bay five games into their championship season.
The Seattle Pacific women continue non-conference play at home on Saturday at 7 p.m. against San Francisco State.
NCAA Women's Soccer
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Interbay Stadium/Seattle, Wash.
(#1) Seattle Pacific 1, Cal State Monterey Bay 0
Scoring -- 1, SPU,
Jocelyn Charette (
Karen Hosler), 64:12.
Shots -- CSMB 3, SPU 25.
Saves -- CSMB (Andrea Davis) 10, SPU (
Jesslyn Rahm Kellerman) 0.
Corner kicks -- CSMB 0, SPU 8.
Fouls -- CSMB 4, SPU 7.
Attendance -- 352.
Records --
Seattle Pacific 1-0-0
Cal State Monterey Bay 0-1-0
Next Game -- San Francisco State at Seattle Pacific, Saturday, Aug. 29, 7 p.m.
