SEATTLE – Jesslyn Rahm Kellerman wasn't very busy Saturday night. And that's okay with her.
The senior goalkeeper was credited with her fourth shutout of the season for the top-ranked Seattle Pacific women's soccer team. The Falcons defeated Central Washington 2-0 in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference game in front of a capacity crowd of 1,246 at Interbay Stadium.
Kellerman (Eugene, Ore.) did not have to make a save, as all seven Wildcats shots were off target and her defenders extinguished any other offensive opportunities.
“Obviously if I don't touch the ball we're doing our job everywhere else so that's fine with me,” she said. “In practice I get all the workout I need to, with all of the amazing players that we have.”
Two of the players she refers to are senior Jocelyn Charette (Lakewood, Wash./Curtis HS) and junior Amanda Johnson (Duvall, Wash./Cedarcrest HS). Those two each netted a goal for the Falcons, who have outscored opponents by an 18-0 margin this season.
Kellerman ranks second among all-time SPU goalkeepers with 21 career shutouts, just four shy of the school record of 25 established by Jennifer Hull from 2001-04.
She anticipated a more difficult time this season playing behind three freshmen who have started every game on the back line, replacing a trio of veteran defenders from last year's NCAA Division II championship team.
“At the beginning of the season I was a little nervous just because they were all freshmen and I hadn't built up that trust yet,” said Kellerman. “But now it doesn't really matter if they are freshmen, they don't play like freshmen.
“I'm always so confident in the defense. I know that if someone gets beat, then their player is going to have to go through like three more people because we give each other such good support.”
Coach Chuck Sekyra also has confidence in SPU's defense.
“The defense has been huge. We have to keep battling to win games and keep the ball out of our net and we'll be fine.”
The Falcons have followed that formula perfectly this season, keeping all nine opponents off the scoreboard. Including last season's 1-0 shutout victory in the championship game against West Florida, SPU has posted 10 consecutive shutouts. That ties four the fourth longest shutout streak in Division II history.
The Falcons are within five games of the consecutive shutout record of 15 games established by Franklin Pierce in 1995.
SPU's shutout streak extends into the 55th minute of last year's NCAA semifinal, a 3-1 victory against Metro State. The Falcons blanked opponents for the last 953 minutes, 7 seconds.
That isn't the team's only streak.
The SPU women (9-0-0, 3-0-0 GNAC) now have won 20 straight games dating back to last September, are unbeaten in their last 26 overall (25-0-1) and extended their home unbeaten streak to 37 straight (35-0-2).
Sophomore Kelsey Jenkins (Kent, Wash./Kentwood HS) started SPU's first scoring play Saturday with a free kick 30 yards up from the goal line on the left side. She lofted the ball deep into the penalty area where Charette got a head to it at the far post. The ball landed right in front of Johnson, who poked it from a yard away at 52:14 for her second goal of the year.
Johnson had tallied her first goal of the season in the last outing, a 3-0 win over Saint Martin's on Sept. 19.
“She's on a roll,” Sekyra said. “She's playing great. That's the Amanda Johnson we know. When she brings her game on the field we are a different team. She has found a nice rhythm and we're being rewarded for it.”
Charette tallied her team-leading fifth goal to boost SPU's lead to 2-0 at 80:55. Freshman forward Megan Lindsay (Spokane, Wash./Gonzaga Prep) sent the ball toward the right side, and Charette caught up with it outside of the box. She dribbled toward the end line, and standing almost parallel to the goal, fired a shot from 10 yards away that found its way into the net just inside the right post.
Goalkeeper Amber Easterbrook made four saves for the Wildcats, who were outshot 11-7.
Central Washington's record fell to 3-6-1 and 0-2-1 in GNAC play.
The Falcons return to action against Western Oregon on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. at Interbay Stadium.
NCAA Women's Soccer
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Interbay Stadium/Seattle, Wash.
(#1) Seattle Pacific 2, Central Washington 0
Scoring -- 1, SPU, Amanda Johnson (Kelsey Jenkins, Jocelyn Charette), 52:14. 2, SPU, Jocelyn Charette (Megan Lindsay), 80:55.
Shots—CWU 7, SPU 11.
Saves— CWU 4 (Amber Easterbrook), SPU 0 (Jesslyn Rahm Kellerman).
Corner kicks – CWU 1, SPU 5.
Fouls—CWU 10, SPU 2.
Offsides – CWU 0, SPU 0.
Attendance-- 1,246.
Records
Seattle Pacific 9-0-0, 3-0-0 GNAC.
Central Washington 3-6-1, 0-2-1 GNAC.
Next match
Western Oregon at Seattle Pacific
Wednesday, Sept. 30, Interbay Stadium, 7 p.m.
