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     • VIDEO: Ashley Shaw
 
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 --
Seattle Pacific at Montana State Billings
2:30 p.m. PDT (3:30 p.m. MDT), Yellowjacket Field, Billings, Mont.
•Webcast & LiveStats:  http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/msub.portal# 
 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 --
Seattle Pacific at Northwest Nazarene
11:00 a.m. PDT (12 pm MDT), NNU Soccer Field, Nampa, Idaho
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The Seattle Pacific women (3-1) begin pursuit of a fourth consecutive league soccer title when they start Great Northwest Athletic Conference play on the road. The Falcons play the two league schools with the best non-conference records, beginning on Thursday, Sept. 13 at Montana State Billings (4-0). Kick-off is 2:30 p.m. Pacific Time (3:30 Mountain) at Yellowjacket Field where SPU has never lost in five all-time visits. On Saturday, Sept. 15 the Falcons travel to Nampa, Idaho for an 11 a.m. PDT game (12 p.m. MDT) against Northwest Nazarene (3-1). SPU won the last 20 meetings against the Crusaders.
 
GNAC Title Chase
Three-time defending GNAC champion Seattle Pacific was projected by a preseason poll of the league's coaches to collect a fourth consecutive women's soccer title. SPU received all eight first-place votes. The Falcons seek to match the record of the SPU squads from 2002-2005 that collected four straight GNAC crowns. They return six starters from last season's team that captured the GNAC crown with a 13-1 record. SPU won eight of the 11 titles since the GNAC began sponsoring women's soccer in 2001.
 


Player of the Week
Junior goalkeeper Natalie Harold, who surrendered just one goal in a pair of SPU victories, was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week for women's soccer. Harold helped the Falcons complete the non-conference portion of their schedule with a home sweep. She made a diving save to her right on a breakaway early in the second half on Sept. 6 that preserved a one-goal lead. Harold totaled four saves in SPU's 1-0 win over Azusa Pacific. That was her fourth career shutout. On Sept. 15 she allowed just one goal in a 3-1 triumph over Hawaii Pacific.
 
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).
 
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. 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.
 
This Week's Opponents
Montana State Billings (4-0-0, 0-0-0 GNAC) -- The undefeated Yellowjackets have four wins, including a home victory over then fifth-ranked Colorado School of Mines, to their credit. MSUB has a trio of two-goal scorers in Alisa Sagdahl, Katlyn Lokay and Jennifer Larson. Goalkeeper Alexandria Johnson has three shutouts and an outstanding 0.25 goals against average. The Yellowjackets dealt SPU its lone league loss last season, winning 1-0 on Sept. 29 in Seattle on a 45-yard Whitney Siler free kick that bounced in at 76:47. That stopped an 11-game series winning streak for the Falcons, who won the rematch in Billings 2-1 on Oct. 29. The Falcons have a 12-1 series lead, outscoring MSUB 33-5 all-time.
 
Northwest Nazarene (3-1-0, 0-0-0 GNAC) -- The Crusaders boast wins over Eastern Oregon, Academy of Art and College of Idaho with their only loss coming at Notre Dame de Namur. NNU outscored foes 8-4 led by the three goals and three assists of Sarah Staropoli. Goalkeeper Tanya Zickefoose compiled one shutout and a 0.82 goals against average. NNU trails the all-time series with SPU by a 21-1 margin, their lone win coming in 2001 during the inaugural encounter. The Falcons won both games last season, 4-0 in Seattle and 2-1 in Nampa, Idaho.
 
Coach Chuck  Sekyra
In his 10th season, Chuck Sekyra has guided Seattle Pacific to a remarkable 170-20-14 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.
 
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.

Next Week
The SPU women return home to host two in-state rivals, Western Washington on Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. and Central Washington on Sept. 22 at 7:30 p.m.