• Complete Release (pdf)
     • VIDEO: Heather Young
 
THURSDAY, AUGUST 30 --
(#19) Seattle Pacific at Notre Dame de Namur
12:30 p.m. PDT, Koret Field, Belmont, Calif.
(No Live game coverage)
 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 --
(#19) Seattle Pacific vs. Cal State San Marcos
11:00 a.m. PDT, Koret Field, Belmont, Calif.
(No Live game coverage)
 
The 19th-ranked Seattle Pacific women take to the road to start the 2012 soccer season. The Falcons (0-0-0) travel to the Bay Area for a pair of games, beginning on Thursday, Aug. 30 at Notre Dame de Namur (0-0-0). SPU won its last five encounters against the Argonauts, including a 6-1 victory last season in Seattle. Thursday's kick-off is 12:30 p.m. at Koret Field in Belmont, Calif. where the Falcons play a neutral-site contest against Cal State San Marcos (0-0-0) on Saturday, Sept. 1 at 11 a.m. Those two teams are meeting for the first time. The opening weekend road trip marks the only non-conference away games for SPU, which returns home next week to conclude its out-of-league slate against Azusa Pacific (Sept. 6) and Hawaii Pacific (Sept. 8). Great Northwest Athletic Conference play begins on Sept. 13 at Montana State Billings.
 
Playoff Pursuit
Seattle Pacific seeks 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).
 


Season Openers
Seattle Pacific begins its 12th year of women's soccer competition with an 8-1-2 record in season-opening games.
 
2012 Preview
Six starters return from the GNAC championship SPU squad that reached the West Regional semifinals of the 2011 NCAA Division II Tournament. Topping the list of returnees is leading scorer Megan Lindsay, a senior who netted 12 goals last year. She had four game-winning strikes and helped SPU outscore opponents 56-13. Lindsay is joined on the forward line by sophomores Ali Martin and Heather Young, who both started strong last year before being sidelined with mid-season injuries. A pair of award-winning midfielders are back in second-team all-conference senior Brittany Langdon and sophomore Riley Dopps, the 2011 GNAC Freshman of the Year. The backline features first-team all-region defender Josie Graybeal. Junior goalkeeper Natalie Harold compiled a 0.62 goals against average in 11 starts last season.
 
2011 Review
The SPU women registered a 17-3-0 overall record in 2011, won their eighth GNAC title and participated in the postseason for the ninth straight season. They routed Grand Canyon 4-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament before falling 2-1 at Cal State L.A. The Falcons had a 13-1-0 conference record, finishing first in the GNAC standings for the third consecutive campaign. Departed midfielder Kelsey Jenkins was the 2011 GNAC Player of the Year after leading the team with 11 assists. SPU lost its No. 2 scorer in Kellie Zakrzewski who netted 10 goals. The back line took the biggest blow with the departures of starting defenders Taylor Sawyer, Andrea Chan and Janie Wurth.
 
Throw-In
The Seattle Pacific women won at least 16 games in each of Coach Chuck Sekyra's previous nine seasons, averaging just 2.1 losses per season during that span.
 
This Week's Opponents
Notre Dame de Namur (0-0-0) -- The Argonauts, members of the PacWest Conference, posted a 7-7-4 record last season with a strong finish. They were undefeated in their final five outings. The leading returning scorer for NDNU is junior forward Massiel Castellanos who tallied six goals in 2011. After losing the first meeting 1-0 in overtime during their inaugural season of 2001, SPU won the last five series encounters against the Argos by a combined 16-1 score. The Falcons were 6-1 victors last season in Seattle behind a pair of goals from Ali Martin.
 
Cal State San Marcos (0-0-0) -- Saturday marks the first ever meeting between SPU and the Cougars. San Marcos is an NAIA school that is beginning the transition to the NCAA Division II level. CSUSM posted a 15-4-1 record last season and returns leading scorer Shelby Bush who scored a school-record 10 goals.
 
Ticket Talk
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.
 
GNAC Poll
With eight championships in the 11-year history of the program, it's no surprise that the Seattle Pacific Falcons are the favorites once again to win the Great Northwest Athletic Conference title. This time, it's unanimous. The Falcons received all eight first-place votes and the maximum of 64 points in the conference preseason coaches poll. Coming closest to SPU in the polling was Western Washington, which was a near-unanimous second with 55 points. From there, it was a significant drop to third-place Montana State Billings with 44 points. The Falcons and Yellowjackets will meet in their GNAC opener on Sept. 13 in Billings. SPU also drew attention nationally, opening the season in the No. 19 position of the national coaches rankings.
 
“We're certainly used to it,” SPU head coach Chuck Sekyra said of being the favorite. “We're comfortable there, but we know that ultimately, it means nothing. We have to earn it, and we have to go out and prove it. We look at every game as important. We treat every game the same and we respect every opponent.”
 
Coach Chuck  Sekyra
In his 10th season, Chuck Sekyra has guided Seattle Pacific to a remarkable 167-19-14 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.