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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17 –
Seattle Pacific at Northwest Nazarene
12:30 p.m. PDT (1:30 pm MDT), NNU Soccer Field, Nampa, Idaho
• LiveStats:  http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/spu.portal
 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19 –
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/spu.portal
 
The Seattle Pacific women seek to snap their first two-game losing skid since 2006 when they embark on a road trip this week for a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference soccer contests. The Falcons (8-4-0, 5-3-0 GNAC) travel to Nampa, Idaho on Thursday, Oct. 17 to meet Northwest Nazarene (1-7-3, 0-5-3) at 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time (1:30 p.m. Mountain). SPU was victorious in the last 24 encounters with the Crusaders. On Saturday, Oct. 19 the Falcons visit Montana State Billings (4-4-2, 3-4-1) for a 2:30 p.m. PDT game (3:30 p.m. MDT). SPU lost in its last two trips to Billings. After this week, the Falcons play three of their final four regular-season games at home.
 
Dynamic Defense
The Falcons blanked seven opponents, outscoring foes 21-8 this season. Their 0.67 goals against average ranks 34th nationally. Senior goalkeeper Natalie Harold has started all but one game in goal for SPU. She compiled 32 saves, including a season-high nine at Western Washington on Oct. 3. Harold has 12 career shutouts.
 


Last Week
It was an unlucky, winless week for the Falcons. A wind-blown cross that floated into the upper right corner in the 13th minute was the difference in a 1-0 loss at Central Washington (Oct. 10). Then at home against second-ranked Western Washington (Oct. 12) SPU got a tying goal in the 32nd minute from Ali Martin, but an own goal five minutes later gave the visiting Vikings a 2-1 win. The Falcons outshot WWU 10-6 and had a 7-1 corner kick advantage, but could not come up with another tying goal.
 
Throw-Ins
Three of sophomore Laura Moore's team-leading five goals were game-winning strikes ... A Chuck Sekyra-coached SPU team has only once before suffered back-to-back setbacks (2006) and never lost three consecutive games ... Junior forward Ali Martin scored the Falcons last two goals, accounting for her entire season total ...  SPU's three league losses is tied (2006 & 2001) for its highest total since falling five times in 2001.
 
2013 Preview
Ten starters return from the SPU squad that reached the West Regional semifinals of the 2012 NCAA Division II Tournament. Eight of the team's top-nine scorers are back, led by junior forwards Ali Martin and Heather Young who each netted six goals last season. Primary goalkeeper Natalie Harold returns along with her entire defensive back line that produced eight shutouts and limited opponents to 0.78 goals per game. Sophomore defender Shayla Page was a 2012 first-team All-GNAC and all-region honoree.
 
Playoff Pursuit
Seattle Pacific seeks to return to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the 11th straight season. The Falcons won the 2008 national championship. Last year they advanced to the West Region semifinal before losing 2-1 in double overtime at UC San Diego. SPU reached the Final Four on three occasions (2005, 2007, 2008).
 
2012 Review
The Falcons forged a 15-4-2 overall record in 2012 and placed second in the GNAC with an 11-1-2 mark. The SPU women participated in the postseason for the 10th straight season. They defeated BYU-Hawaii 1-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament before falling 2-1 in double overtime at UC San Diego. Departed forward Megan Lindsay was a second-team All-American who led the team with 12 goals. Lindsay was the only starter to depart.
 
This Week's Opponents
Northwest Nazarene (1-7-3, 0-5-3 GNAC) -- The Crusaders drew 1-1 ties in their last two outings to halt a four-game losing streak. Kelsey Martin (3 goals) and Lexi Fesenbek (2) accounted for all of the team's scoring.   NNU has two shutouts and primary goalkeeper Argia Phillips has a 1.87 goals against average. The Crusaders trail the all-time series with SPU by a 24-1 margin, their lone win coming in 2001 during the inaugural encounter. The Falcons won this season's first meeting 3-0 on Sept. 28 in Seattle behind a pair of goals from freshman Hannah Huesers.
 
Montana State Billings (4-4-2, 3-4-1 GNAC) -- The Yellowjackets defeated Saint Martin's 2-1 in their last outing, sweeping the season series with the Saints. Billings is led by the four goals of Heidi Greenback. Goalkeeper Kaylee Kimmet has three shutouts and a 1.31 goals against average. The Yellowjackets dealt SPU its lone league loss last season, winning 2-1 on Sept. 13 in Billings. The Falcons blanked MSUB 3-0 in the rematch on Oct. 13 in Seattle. The Falcons rallied for a 2-1 victory in the last encounter with goals in the final 10 minutes by Ashley Shaw and Demi Waitley on Sept. 26 in Seattle. SPU owns a 14-3 series lead, outscoring the Yellowjackets 39-9 all-time.
 
GNAC Poll
The SPU women won three of the last four Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships. Last year's runner-up, SPU was selected by the GNAC coaches to again place second in their preseason poll. Western Washington was projected to repeat as league champion, receiving five first-place votes and 61 points. SPU collected the remaining three first-place tallies en route to a 58-point total. Montana State Billings was third in the preseason poll with 41 points followed by Western Oregon (35), Central Washington (34), Saint Martin's (33), Northwest Nazarene (17) and Simon Fraser (9). SPU won eight of the 12 titles since the GNAC began sponsoring women's soccer in 2001.
 
Coach Chuck Sekyra
In his 11th season, Chuck Sekyra has guided Seattle Pacific to a remarkable 190-27-16 record, three Final Four appearances and the 2008 national championship. He directed seven of those teams to GNAC championships, and all 10 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.
 
Next Week
The SPU women close out the regular season with three of their final four games at home. They host Saint Martin's on Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. before visiting Western Oregon on Oct. 26 at 11:30 a.m. in their final road contest.