• Boxscore & Play-by-Play

SEATTLE – There was no letdown Saturday for the Seattle Pacific women's soccer team, which got first-half goals from sophomores Andrea Chan and Taylor Sawyer en route to a 3-0 conference victory over Saint Martin's at Interbay Stadium.

SPU (14-1-2) improved to 11-1-1 in league play for a first-place total of 34 points and has an eight-point advantage over second-place Simon Fraser (8-3-2) with just one game to play.



The 13th-ranked Falcons clinched the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship on Thursday with a 3-0 win over Western Oregon. They also secured the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Division II Tournament.

SPU appeared motivated to improve its No. 2 seeding in the West Region and got a goal just 15 minutes into Saturday's contest.

Freshman Kellie Zakrzewski (Cheney, Wash./Cheney HS) broke free on the left side and dribbled toward the post before sliding a pass across the goalmouth that Chan (Vancouver, Wash.) tapped in at 14:52. That was the first goal of the season for the sophomore.

A corner kick set up the second SPU goal at 28:07. Kelsey Jenkins (Kent, Wash./Kentwood HS) served the ball into the center of the box and Megan Lindsay (Spokane, Wash./Gonzaga Prep) headed it to the right post where a Saints defender cleared it off the line. Sawyer (Gig Harbor, Wash./North Mason HS) ran to the loose ball and booted it from inside the six-yard box for her second goal.

“It was nice to come out, get a quick 2-0 lead and put the game away in the second half,” said SPU coach Chuck Sekyra. “Last time we played these guys we had a 2-0 lead and kind of let them back in 2-1. So it was nice that we learned from that. We're getting better each week.”

The Falcons have never lost in eight all-time meetings against SMU, including a 3-1 decision on Sept. 23 in Lacey, Wash.

Lindsay netted her team-leading 10th goal less than three minutes into the second half. Jenkins took a corner kick that rattled between players in the goalmouth before Lindsay spun and sent an eight-yard strike into the left side of the goal at 47:48.

That was the seventh goal in the last five games for the sophomore forward.

Senior goalkeeper Maddie Dickinson (Vancouver, Wash./Skyview HS) stopped two shots in 74 minutes before being replaced by Brooke Yokers (Kent, Wash./Kentridge HS). They combined for SPU's 10th shutout.

Gina Cardenas was credited with five saves for the Saints (7-10-0, 6-7-0 GNAC), who had just one fewer attempt than SPU with a 9-8 shot deficit.

The Falcons trail only BYU-Hawaii in the West Region rankings. The top-two seeds from each region will host first- and second-round playoff games.

“We want to finish strong and hopefully get a No. 1 or 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, I think that's what is at stake,” Sekyra said about his team's next game.

SPU closes out the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 6 against Central Washington. Kick-off is 1 p.m. at Interbay Stadium following a pre-game ceremony to honor the SPU seniors.



NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Interbay Stadium/Seattle, Wash.

#13 Seattle Pacific 3, Saint Martin's 0

Scoring – 1, SPU, Andrea Chan (Kellie Zakrzewski), 14:52. 2, SPU, Taylor Sawyer (Megan Lindsay), 28:07. 3, SPU, Lindsay, 47.48.

Shots – SMU 8, SPU 9.
Saves –SMU 5 (Gina Cardenas), SPU 2 (Maddie Dickinson 2, Brooke Yokers).
Corners -- SMU 2, SPU 4.
Fouls – SMU 3, SPU 12.
Offsides – SMU 0, SPU 3.
Cautions – None.
Ejections – None.
Attendance – 249.

Records –
Seattle Pacific 14-1-2, 11-1-1 GNAC
Saint Martin's 7-10-0, 6-7-0 GNAC

Next game –
Central Washington at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, Nov. 6, 1:00 p.m., Interbay Stadium