• Complete Release (pdf)
     • VIDEO: Coach Chuck  Sekyra

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 –
(#21) Seattle Pacific at (#3) UC San Diego
7:00 p.m. PDT, Triton Soccer Stadium, La Jolla, Calif.
• LiveStats:  www.ucsdtritons.com
 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 –
(#21) Seattle Pacific at Point Loma Nazarene
1:00 p.m. PDT, PLNU Soccer Field, San Diego, Calif.
• LiveStats:  www.sidearmstats.com/pointloma/wsoc
 
We meet again! The 2013 season starts right where last year ended for the 21st-ranked Seattle Pacific women's soccer team, with a road meeting against No. 3 UC San Diego. The NCAA Division II West Coast Powers clash on Thursday, Sept. 5. Kick-off is 7 p.m. at Triton Soccer Stadium in La Jolla, Calif. where the Falcons were eliminated from the 2012 playoffs by a 2-1 double-overtime setback on Nov. 10 in the West Region semifinals. The Tritons advanced to the NCAA championship game. The SPU women remain in San Diego for a Saturday, Sept. 7 game at Point Loma Nazarene. The 1 p.m. contest will be played at PLNU Soccer Field.
 
Quoting Coach Chuck Sekyra
"UC San Diego is one of the premier women's soccer programs in the country. They have a great team every year. They ended our season last year and went on to have a great run that ended in the national championship game. We realize that they are the third ranked team in the nation and are always the favorites on their home field, but we are anxious for the chance to start the season off against a perennial powerhouse. I feel good about where my team is at coming out of the preseason and realize that this game most likely will have NCAA Tournament implications."
 
Season Openers
Seattle Pacific begins its 13th year of women's soccer competition with a 9-1-2 record in season-opening games.
 


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 season 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).
 
2013 Preview
en 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 (Corvallis, Ore.) and Heather Young (Lacombe, Alberta) who each netted six goals last season. Primary goalkeeper Natalie Harold (Vancouver, Wash./Heritage HS) 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 (Redmond, Wash./Eastlake HS) garnered first-team All-GNAC and all-region accolades last year.
 
Throw-In
The Seattle Pacific women won at least 15 games in each of Coach Chuck Sekyra's previous 10 seasons, averaging just 2.3 losses per season during that span.
 
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.
 
Next Week
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 Dixie State (Sept. 12) and Notre Dame de Namur (Sept. 14). Great Northwest Athletic Conference play begins at home on Sept. 19 against Western Oregon.
 
This Week's Opponents
UC San Diego (17-3-4 in 2012) -- The third-ranked Tritons were national runners-up last year, losing 1-0 to West Florida in the 2012 NCAA Division II championship game. Coach Brian McManus lost 10 seniors, including seven starters off the 17-3-4 squad. But the Tritons do return All-America midfielder Cassie Callahan, the leading scorer with 10 goals. Also back is forward Izzy Pozurama, who netted nine goals. Goalkeeper Kelcie Brodsky compiled nine shutouts and a 0.60 goals against average. UCSD won the last three meetings to claim a 4-2 series lead over the Falcons. The Tritons won 2-1 at home in double overtime on Nov. 10, 2012 in the NCAA West Region semifinal that ended SPU's season. Both teams are former national champions as SPU won in 2008 and the Tritons won back-to-back crowns in 2000 and 2001.
 
Point Loma Nazarene (12-5-3 in 2012) -- Saturday marks the second all-time meeting between SPU and Point Loma and the first since the Falcons inaugural year of women's soccer. The teams tied 1-1 on Aug. 25, 2001 at Point Loma. The Sea Lions are in their second season as an NCAA Division II competitor and member of the PacWest Conference. Eight starters return from the Point Loma team that forged a 12-5-3 record in 2012. Coach Tim Hall's squad returns Amanda Mitchell whose seven goals led the team.
 
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 182-23-16 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.
 
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.