• Boxscore & Play-by-Play

NAMPA, Idaho – Mathematically, Seattle Pacific clinched the conference women's soccer title on Thursday afternoon. But Coach Chuck Sekyra has higher standards.
 
Kellie Zakrzewski and Brandi Hamre each scored a first-half goal and the 13th-ranked Falcons held on to clinch their third consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship with a 2-1 victory over Northwest Nazarene at NNU Soccer Field.
 
“I'm very proud to be conference champions. That's something that we want to bring back to the University every year and I'm very proud to keep that going,” said Sekyra, before adding his unique championship criteria.
 
 “To me Saturday is a huge game. To truly be GNAC champs I think you have to beat every team.”
 
The SPU women (14-2) play their final regular-season road game on Saturday at Montana State Billings. The Yellowjackets put the only blemish on SPU's league ledger with a 1-0 win in Seattle on Sept. 29.
 
The Billings goal was scored on a 45-yard Whitney Siler free kick in the 77th minute that bounced in the box and over the SPU goalkeeper.
 
On Thursday at NNU, Zakrzewski (Cheney, Wash./Cheney HS) found the goal just 4:03 into the game with her league-leading ninth score. The sophomore forward dribbled down the center before sliding a 10-yard shot into the right side netting. That was the fifth goal in the last four games for Zakrzewski.
 
Hamre (Bremerton, Wash./Central Kitsap HS), a senior, scored what proved to be the decisive goal at 27:43. Her 12-yard strike was assisted by a through ball from sophomore Mackenzie Laird (Danville, Calif.).
 
The Crusaders (4-12) saw their GNAC record fall to 2-10. They made things interesting at the end, getting a goal at 86:57 on a 4-yard header by Jenny Field.
 
NNU had a great opportunity at the equalizer but Sarah Staropoli's shot on a breakaway was smothered by Brooke Yokers with 1:14 showing on the clock.
 
The senior goalkeeper made three saves for the Falcons, who posted a 12-7 shooting advantage. Yokers (Kent, Wash./Kentridge HS) improved her record to 5-0 as SPU's starter, but the team's shutout streak was snapped at 456-minutes, 9-seconds.
 
Tanya Zickefoose stopped six shots for the Crusaders.
 
The Falcons extended their season-best winning streak to seven games with Thursday's win. They moved to 11-1 in GNAC play, securing first place and the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Division II Tournament.
 
Sekyra has now directed SPU into the playoffs in each of his nine seasons as head coach. His 2008 squad won the national championship.
 
“I'm really proud of that. There are a lot of players who have played in this program, worked very hard and were dedicated to get us to get us to the point where our program is right now,” Sekyra said.
 
“Nine NCAA Tournament trips in nine years, not a lot of programs can match that. I'm very, very proud of that and the past players getting the program to this point where that's something that we strive to do and expect to do every year. It's not an easy task.”


NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER
Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011
NNU Soccer Field/Nampa, Idaho

(#13) Seattle Pacific 2, at Northwest Nazarene 1

Scoring – 1, SPU, Kellie Zakrzewski, 4:03; 2, SPU, Brandi Hamre (Mackenzie Laird), 27:43; 3, NNU, Jenny Field (Autumn Yturbe), 86:57.

Shots – SPU 12, NNU 7.
Saves – SPU 3 (Brooke Yokers), NNU 6 (Tanya Zickefoose).
Corner kicks – SPU 1, NNU 0.
Fouls – SPU 4, NNU 3.
Offsides – SPU 4, NNU 0.
Ejections – None.

Records
Seattle Pacific 14-2-0,  11-1-0 GNAC
Northwest Nazarene 4-12-0, 2-10-0 GNAC

Next game
Seattle Pacific at Montana State Billings
Saturday, Oct. 29, 12 p.m., Billings, Mont.