THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14 --
Northwest Nazarene at (#14) Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
Interbay Stadium/Seattle, Wash.
LiveStats: www.sidearmstats.com/spu/wsoc/index.htm

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16 --
(#14) Seattle Pacific at Montana State Billings, 12 noon PST
Yellowjacket Field/Billings, Mont.
Webcast: www.pennatlantic.com


SEATTLE -- A lot is on the line during the final seven games of the regular season.

The 14th-ranked Seattle Pacific women's soccer team (8-1-2) begins its second swing through the Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule, starting at home on Thursday, Oct. 14. The Falcons are at Interbay Stadium to host Northwest Nazarene (4-7-0) for a 7 p.m. game that is the nightcap of a doubleheader. The SPU men host 19th-ranked Grand Canyon at 4:30 p.m.

On Saturday, Oct. 16, the SPU women visit Montana State Billings (8-2-1) at noon Pacific Time (1 p.m. Mountain Time).



GNAC Title Hunt
Midway through the GNAC slate and the defending conference champion Falcons are tied atop the standings with Western Washington. Both have 16 points on 5-1-1 league records. MSU Billings is 5-2-0, just one point off the leaders' pace.

Seattle Pacific was projected to repeat as GNAC champion in the preseason coaches poll. The Falcons captured the 2009 conference crown with a 9-2-1 record. They have won six of the nine titles since the GNAC began sponsoring women's soccer in 2001.

Not only is the league title up for grabs, but teams are battling for playoff berths and seedings. The top seed in the West region gains the advantage of hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA Division II Tournament.

Two years ago, that early postseason home field advantage propelled the Falcons to the 2008 national championship. Last year they were sent on the road to San Diego and lost in the first round on a penalty kick tiebreaker after playing Chico State to a scoreless tie.

SPU SOCCER TICKETS...

Tickets for SPU soccer games can be purchased on game day at Interbay Stadium (3027 17th Ave. W., Seattle 98119). Ticket windows open one hour prior to kickoff. All seats are general admission and priced at $6 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. SPU students and staff are admitted free. Groups or teams of 10 or more may qualify for reduced ticket rates by calling (206) 281-2085 in advance.

Scouting SPU
8-1-2, 5-1-1 GNAC
The first-place Falcons have outscored opponents 25-4, led by the five goals of Kellie Zakrzewski (Cheney, Wash./Cheney HS). The freshman forward was named the GNAC Player of the Week on Monday. Junior midfielder Brandi Hamre (Bremerton, Wash./Central Kitsap HS) has four goals and a team-leading five assists.

The stingy SPU defense shut out seven opponents and has not yielded more than one goal in any game. Senior goalkeeper Maddie Dickinson (Vancouver, Wash./Skyview HS) is the school's all-time leader with 26 career shutouts. She compiled a 0.35 goals against average while playing all but 13 minutes this season.


Scouting Northwest Nazarene
4-7-0, 2-5-0 GNAC
The second half starts against Northwest Nazarene, which is tied for sixth in the standings with a 2-5-0 record and six points. The Crusaders played SPU tough in this season's first meeting before bowing 2-0 on Sept. 18 in Nampa, Idaho.

NNU lost its last two games on overtime golden goals. Autumn Yturbe and Marie Smith lead the balanced attack with three goals apiece. Twelve different players have accounted for the team's 18 goals.

Goalkeeper Tanya Zickefooose has two shutouts and a 1.38 goals against average.

The Crusaders trail the all-time series with SPU by an 18-1-0 margin, their lone win coming in 2001. The Falcons swept last season's two games by a combined 13-0 score. SPU won 7-0 on Oct. 17 in Nampa, Idaho and 6-0 on Nov. 7 in Seattle.


Scouting Montana State Billings
8-2-1, 5-2-0 GNAC
The Yellowjackets won five of their last six games, outscoring foes 10-3 during that span. They are in third place in the league standings, just one point out of first.

Kari Foreman and Jennifer Larsen each have four goals to lead the MSUB offense that compiled a 19-10 scoring advantage over opponents. Freshman goalkeeper Sabrina Grandke-Bawab has four shutouts and a 0.60 goals against average.

The Falcons won all nine previous matchups and had not allowed a goal in the series until a 3-2 overtime win on Nov. 5, 2009 in their last visit to Billings. Jocelyn Charette won that game with a 99th-minute goal.

SPU has outscored MSUB 27-2 all-time including 3-0 in this season's first meeting on Sept. 16 in Seattle.

Saturday's game at Billings starts a three-game road trip for the SPU women who visit Simon Fraser (Oct. 21) and Western Washington (Oct. 23) next week.