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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25 --
(#21) Seattle Pacific at Simon Fraser
7:00 p.m. PDT, Terry Fox Field, Burnaby, B.C.
• Webcast & LiveStats:  http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/spu.portal#
 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27 --
(#21) Seattle Pacific at (#14) Western Washington
7:00 p.m. PDT, Orca Field, Bellingham, Wash.
• LiveStats:  http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/spu.portal#
 
They need some help, but a fourth consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference women's soccer championship is not out of reach for 21st-ranked Seattle Pacific.  The second-place Falcons (12-2-2, 9-1-2 GNAC) bring a seven-game winning streak into the final week of the regular season that begins with a visit to Burnaby, B.C. to play Simon Fraser (1-14-0, 0-12-0) on Thursday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. SPU has never lost to the Clan in five all-time meetings.
 
On Saturday, Oct. 27 the Falcons end the regular season with a visit to Bellingham for a 7 p.m. clash against No. 14 Western Washington (14-2-0, 11-1-0). The league-leading Vikings own a four-point lead in the standings and can clinch the conference crown with a home win on Thursday afternoon against Central Washington. If Western ties or loses on Thursday  and SPU is victorious at Simon Fraser, then Saturday's game will determine the GNAC regular-season titlist. The Falcons beat WWU 2-1 on Sept. 19 in Seattle on a goal by Kaylie Winston with 15 seconds left to play.
 
GNAC History
The SPU women captured the last three conference championships (2009-11), giving them eight of the 11 titles since the GNAC began sponsoring women's soccer in 2001. They were the favorite in the preseason conference coaches poll and seek to match the record of the SPU squads from 2002-2005 that collected four straight GNAC crowns.
 
Throw-Ins
The SPU women are unbeaten in the last 11 games with a 9-0-2 record in that span ... The Falcons outscored foes 18-4 during the current seven-game winning streak ... SPU put together a streak of at least seven straight wins in each of the last 10 seasons. They won 10 consecutive games in 2011 ... Nineteen players have started this season for SPU and 13 of them were underclassmen, including eight sophomores and five freshmen.
 


Magnificent Megan
Senior forward Megan Lindsay was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after scoring two goals in both of SPU's wins last week, a 4-2 decision at Saint Martin's (Oct. 18) and 2-0 home shutout of Western Oregon (Oct. 20). Lindsay scored in five of the last six games. She has 39 career goals to rank No. 3 among all-time SPU scorers. Sarah Martinez (2004-07) is the Falcons' career leader with 49 goals and Shannon Lovejoy (2002-05) is second with 42. Lindsay's 10 goals this season lead the league. An honorable mention All-American in 2011, Lindsay led all GNAC players with 12 goals last season. She has a point (goal or assist) in seven straight games.
 
GNAC Tournament
The inaugural GNAC Tournament will be conducted next week at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Wash. SPU has clinched a berth in the four-team competition that determines the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Division II Tournament. The first-place team in the final regular-season standings plays the fourth-place squad at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 1 following a 5 p.m. matchup between the second- and third-place finishers. The semifinal winners meet in the championship game on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 2 p.m.
 
Playoff Pursuit
The SPU women seek to return to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the 10th straight year. The Falcons won the 2008 national championship. Last season they advanced to the West Region semifinal before losing 2-1 at Cal State L.A. on an 80th-minute goal. SPU advanced to the Final Four on three occasions (2005, 2007, 2008).
 
This Week's Opponents
Western Washington (14-2-0, 11-1-0 GNAC) -- The 14th-ranked Vikings outscored opponents 23-0 during their current nine-game winning streak. Their last loss was a 2-1 setback on Sept. 19 in Seattle when SPU's Kaylie Winston scored on a header with 15 seconds left in regulation. Western won 14 of its last 15 games. Tenth-year coach Travis Connell, a four-year SPU men's soccer letterman (1991-95), owns WWU's all-time mark with 116 coaching wins. Kristin Maris paces the Western attack with seven goals. Goalkeeper Jamie Arthurs has 13 shutouts and leads the nation with a 0.25 goals against average. SPU won the last four encounters to increase its series lead to 17-4-3.
 
Simon Fraser (1-14-0, 0-12-0 GNAC) -- The Clan are the newest members of the GNAC, entering the league in 2010 after becoming the first Canadian school to join the NCAA. Shelley Howieson is in her 24th season as head coach, having directed SFU to two NAIA national championships, in 1996 and 2000. The Clan have been outscored 30-3 for the season. Goalkeeper Amanda Gilliland has one shutout and a 1.79 goals against average. The Falcons own a 4-0-1 series edge, including a 2-0 win in Seattle on Oct. 6 in this year's first meeting.
 
Coach Chuck  Sekyra
In his 10th season, Chuck Sekyra has guided Seattle Pacific to a remarkable 179-21-16 record, three Final Four appearances and the 2008 national championship. He directed seven of those teams to GNAC championships, and all nine of his squads participated in the NCAA tournament. His Falcons advanced to the 2005 championship game. Sekyra was a defender on the SPU men's soccer teams that won back-to-back NCAA titles in 1985 and 1986. He served as an assistant men's coach at SPU in 1998 and 1999 under Cliff McCrath, then was an assistant women's coach at Washington for three years before being named head coach of the SPU women in 2003. Sekyra was named GNAC Coach of the Year six times (2003-05, 2007, 2009, 2011) and the Regional Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2007. He received the NSCAA National Coach of the Year award in 2007.
 
Playoff Venue
Seattle Pacific was listed No. 4 in this week's West Region rankings. The top-two teams in each region earn the right to host first- and second-round NCAA Division II Tournament games. Playoff games are scheduled for Nov. 8 and 10.
 
Tournament Bound?
The 48-team NCAA Division II championship field will be announced on Monday, Nov. 5 at 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time via a webcast selection show on NCAA.com. SPU, which hopes to compete in the playoffs for the 10th straight season, has hosted early-round action five times at Interbay Stadium. Four years ago, the early postseason homefield advantage helped propel the Falcons to the 2008 national championship. In 2010, they defeated Montana State Billings 2-0 in the second round at home before falling 1-0 to UC San Diego in the West Region championship game in Austin, Texas. SPU advanced to the Final Four three times.
 
Next Week
Seattle Pacific takes part in the inaugural GNAC Tournament at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Wash. Two semifinal games will be played on Thursday, Nov. 1 at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. The two winning teams meet in the title game on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 2 p.m.