• Boxscore & Play-by-Play


AUSTIN, Texas – The Seattle Pacific women hit everything but the back of the net.

The ninth-ranked Falcons were held scoreless despite several dangerous shots on goal Thursday and Sarah McTigue delivered a 73rd-minute strike that lifted No. 12 UC San Diego to a 1-0 victory in the West Region championship game of the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Tournament.

The Tritons (17-2-3) advance to the quarterfinals to meet host St. Edward's (17-1-2), which won the South Central Region championship with a 3-2 win over Central Missouri, also at SEU Soccer Field.

The SPU women suffered just their second setback of the season, completing the campaign with a 16-2-2 record. They won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship and received the West Region's No. 1 seed in their eighth-straight playoff appearance.

The third-seeded Tritons broke the deadlock at 73:00. McTigue received a throw-in from teammate Shelby Wong and dribbled toward the box in the center of the field before unleashing a 20-yard shot into the upper corner. SPU goalkeeper Maddie Dickinson dove toward the shot, but the ball nipped off her fingertips and caromed off the underside of the crossbar into the goal.

"That's probably the best goal I've ever scored in my life," exclaimed McTigue, who scored for the ninth time this season. "I kind of looked up and I had enough time to shoot so I just took it. It went upper-V, that's pretty awesome."

It took a perfectly placed effort to end Dickinson's postseason scoreless streak at 416 minutes. She had not surrendered a goal since the 2008 national semifinals. Dickinson (Vancouver, Wash./Skyview HS) blanked top-ranked West Florida for 108 minutes in the championship game, enabling the Falcons to win the 2008 NCAA title. That was the first of her three straight playoff shutouts, including the Falcons 2-0 second-round win over Montana State Billings on Nov. 13.

The senior shot-stopper, who had three saves Thursday, was named the 2010 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year. She completes her career as the school record holder with 28 career shutouts.

Dickinson is one of three SPU seniors whose collegiate careers ended Thursday, joining defender Becca Woods (Beaverton, Ore.) and forward Amanda Johnson (Duvall, Wash./Cedarcrest HS).

"Our seniors are great and we have quite a bit of leadership from them," said SPU coach Chuck Sekyra. "They're a group that has won a national championship, so they leave with a great legacy."

One minute after the Tritons goal, SPU junior forward Brandi Hamre (Bremerton, Wash./Central Kitsap HS) fired a shot that was saved by San Diego goalkeeper Kristin Armstrong. The Falcons had three more attempts at an equalizer during the final 11 minutes, but none were directly on goal.

SPU was unable to capitalize on four outstanding first-half opportunities. Sophomore Hannah Masson (Meridian, Idaho) ripped a point-blank, 10-yard shot in the 11th minute that was saved by Armstrong.

The Tritons goalkeeper stopped two more shots later in the opening half. She deflected a 30th-minute try by Kendall Thoreson (Seattle, Wash./King's HS) that subsequently nicked off the crossbar. In the last minute of the first half, Armstrong denied a shot by the Falcons leading scorer, sophomore Megan Lindsay (Spokane, Wash./Gonzaga Prep).

Lindsay, who compiled 11 goals during the regular season, had a hard-luck half as she banged a shot off the crossbar 20 minutes into the contest.

The closest SPU came to a goal was in the second half on a low shot by Hamre. The ball slipped past Armstrong, but was cleared off the goal line by San Diego defender Ellen Wilson in the 62nd minute.

Armstrong was credited with four saves for UCSD, which was outshot 10-8 by the Falcons.

"I give San Diego all the credit in the world. They played their hearts out, played very well and came at us," said Sekyra. "We did have our chances and the goal that they scored was a great goal."

Seattle Pacific was competing in the Sweet 16 for the fourth time. They won their previous three third-round games.


NCAA Division II Tournament (3rd round)
West Region Championship Game
Thursday, November 18, 2010
SEU Soccer Stadium/Austin, Texas

(#12) UC San Diego 1, (#9) Seattle Pacific 0

Scoring – 1, UCSD, Sarah McTigue (Shelby Wong), 73:00.

Shots – UCSD 8, SPU 10.
Saves – UCSD 4 (Kristin Armstrong), SPU 3 (Maddie Dickinson).
Corners – UCSD 5, SPU 3.
Fouls – UCSD 5, SPU 6.
Offsides – UCSD 0, SPU 0.
Cautions –SPU 1 (Brittany Langdon).
Ejections – none.
Attendance – 108.

Records –
Seattle Pacific 16-2-2
UC San Diego 17-2-3