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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 –
Montana State Billings at Seattle Pacific
7:00 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium (900), Seattle, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 –
Northwest Nazarene at Seattle Pacific
1:00 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium (900), Seattle, Wash.
 
• LiveStats for Both Games:  www.sidearmstats.com/spu/wsoc
 
Seattle Pacific seeks to extend a five-game combined winning and shutout streak with a pair of home women's soccer games this week. The 25th-ranked Falcons (5-1, 2-0 GNAC) host Montana State Billings (2-1-1, 1-1) on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. at Interbay Stadium as the nightcap of a doubleheader with the SPU men who play at 4:30 p.m. The Yellowjackets dealt SPU its only league loss in 2012, a 2-1 decision on Sept. 13 in Billings. MSUB also beat the Falcons in the GNAC Tournament semifinals, 1-0. On Saturday, Sept. 28 Northwest Nazarene (1-3-1, 0-1-1) visits Seattle for a 1 p.m. contest. SPU was victorious in the last 23 encounters with the Crusaders. After this week, the Falcons play five of their next six games on the road, beginning Oct. 3 at second-ranked Western Washington.
 
Shutout Streak
The Falcons blanked their last five opponents, outscoring foes 10-0 during that span. They have not surrendered a goal in the last 460 minutes, since their season-opening 2-1 loss at third-ranked UC San Diego on Sept. 5. Senior goalkeeper Natalie Harold played all 540 minutes in goal for SPU, boating a 0.33 goals against average.
 


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. For group rates call (206) 281-2085.
 
Home Sweet Home
The SPU women are undefeated in their last 16 games at Interbay Stadium. They lost just three times in their last 75 homes games with a 67-3-5 mark since Sept. 30, 2006. SPU had a 45-game home unbeaten streak snapped on Sept. 30, 2010 with a 1-0 loss to Western Washington. The Falcons forged an 8-0-1 home record last year. They were 9-2-0 at home in 2011, 7-1-1 in 2010, 11-0-1 in 2009, 11-0-2 in 2008 and 15-0 in 2007.
 
Player of the Week
Sophomore Shayla Page, who anchored a defense that blanked both opponents, received the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week award for women's soccer on Monday. Page was brilliant on the back line for the Falcons, who posted matching 1-0 victories last week over Western Oregon (Sept. 19) and Saint Martin's (Sept. 21). As an SPU freshman last year she garnered first-team All-GNAC and all-region accolades.
 
Last Week
The SPU women posted a pair of 1-0 victories last week to begin league action with a 2-0 record. They defeated Western Oregon at home (Sept. 19) and Saint Martin's (Sept. 21) on the road. Junior forward Heather Young scored the lone goal in both games.
 
GNAC Title Hunt
Seattle Pacific seeks to reclaim the GNAC regular-season championship after having its three-year streak halted in 2012. Western Washington won the league crown with a 12-2-0 mark and SPU was second at 11-1-2. The Falcons were projected by a preseason poll of the league's coaches to finish second with WWU first. SPU won eight of the 12 titles since the GNAC began sponsoring women's soccer 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
Montana State Billings (2-1-1, 1-1-0 GNAC) -- The Yellowjackets suffered their first loss Saturday, a 4-1 home setback against Western Washington. Billings is led by the two goals of Heidi Greenback. Goalkeeper Kaylee Kimmet has three shutouts and a 0.99 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. Billings was a 1-0 victor in the last encounter, on Nov. 1, 2012 in Tukwila, Wash. in a GNAC Tournament semifinal. SPU compiled a 13-3 series lead, outscoring the Yellowjackets 37-8 all-time.
 
Northwest Nazarene (1-3-1, 0-1-1 GNAC) -- The Crusaders played to a scoreless draw with Simon Fraser in their last outing. McCrea Nirider and Monique Ray accounted for the team's two goals. NNU has two shutouts and primary goalkeeper Argia Phillips has a 1.18 goals against average. The Crusaders trail the all-time series with SPU by a 23-1 margin, their lone win coming in 2001 during the inaugural encounter. The Falcons swept last year, winning 3-1 on Sept. 15 in Nampa, Idaho and 4-1 on Oct. 11 in Seattle.
 
GNAC Poll
The SPU women won three of the last four Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships. They begin pursuit of another at home on Sept. 19 against Western Oregon. 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. The Northwest rivals will clash twice during a 10-day period this season. SPU visits Bellingham on Oct. 3 and the Vikings play in Seattle on Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. 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 187-24-16 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 begin a stretch of three consecutive road games on Thursday, Oct. 3 at second-ranked Western Washington. They visit Burnaby, B.C. to clash with Simon Fraser on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 1 p.m.