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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 –
Seattle Pacific at Saint Martin's
3:00 p.m. PDT, SMU Soccer Field, Lacey, Wash.
• LiveStats:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/smusaints/
 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18 –
Seattle Pacific at Western Oregon
1:00 p.m. PDT, WOU Soccer Field, Monmouth, Ore.
• LiveStats:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/wou/
 
Five of the final six scheduled games are on the road for the Seattle Pacific women's soccer team, which makes its final push for Great Northwest Athletic Conference and NCAA Division II Tournament berths. Second-place SPU (6-3-2, 4-2-2 GNAC) begins a four-game road swing this week, beginning on Thursday Oct. 16 at Saint Martin's (1-9-2, 1-6-1). Kick-off is 3 p.m. at SMU Soccer Field in Lacey, Wash. SPU won all 15 previous meetings against the Saints. On Saturday, Oct. 18, the Falcons play the only team they haven't yet seen in 2014, paying a visit to Monmouth, Ore. to take on Western Oregon (5-4-3, 3-2-3) at 1 p.m. SPU swept the season series last year from the Wolves with a pair of 1-0 victories.
 
Dynamic Duo
SPU is the highest scoring team in the conference with 25 goals. Fourteen of those scores came from the prolific pair of Hannah Huesers (8) and Isabel Farrell (6), who rank first and second among GNAC scoring leaders.

 

Player of the Week
SPU's Laura Moore, who erupted for three goals and an assist during a 17-minute span on Saturday, was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. The junior forward opened the scoring 7:43 into the game against Northwest Nazarene, starting the Falcons on their way to a 6-1 victory. Moore assisted on the team's third goal, scored by Hannah Huesers at 10:57, and netted her second score at 11:39. She completed the hat trick at 24:34. Moore leads all GNAC players with six assists.
 
Throw-Ins
The Falcon's six-goal outburst vs. Northwest Nazarene (Oct. 11) was their highest output since a similar 6-1 win over Notre Dame de Namur on Sept. 8, 2011 ... Laura Moore's three-goal game on Saturday marked the first hat trick by an SPU player since Megan Lindsay accomplished the feat on Oct. 1, 2011 … The Falcons outshot their last four opponents 81-30 and lead that statistical category 199-105 for the season.
 
GNAC Title Hunt
Seattle Pacific seeks to reclaim the GNAC regular-season championship after having its three-year streak halted with Western Washington wins in 2012 and 2013. The Falcons were projected second by a preseason poll of the league's coaches, but got two first-place votes. WWU was picked first, garnering the other six first-place tallies. SPU won eight of the 13 titles since the GNAC began sponsoring women's soccer in 2001.
 
Playoff Pursuit
The Falcons eye a return to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the 12th straight year. They won the 2008 national championship and made three Final Fours. Last season SPU reached the West Region semifinal before losing 2-0 at Western Washington.
 


2014 Preview
Nine starters return from the 2013 GNAC Tournament champions, including first-team All-West Region forward Laura Moore who topped SPU with eight goals. Also back is Shayla Page, a two-time all-region defender who helped the team blank 11 opponents and compile a 0.72 goals against average. The top-nine goal producers return from last season's Falcons, who outscored foes 39-16. Alexa Diaz is back after distributing a team-leading eight assists in 2013. A trio of All-GNAC midfielders returns in senior Demi Waitley and juniors Emma Holm and Ashley Shaw. Senior Alexa Hughes takes over primary goalkeeping duties after not surrendering a goal in 180 minutes during 2013. Junior Isabel Farrell, a transfer from Washington, adds a dynamic midfield presence.
 
This Week's Opponents
Saint Martin's (1-9-2, 1-6-1 GNAC) -- The Saints own just one win despite playing teams tough. They lost by one goal on five occasions, including a 2-1 double overtime setback at league-leading Western Washington. Sasha Dini and Kelli Bannerman each have three goals, accounting for six of the team's nine scores.  Goalkeeper Sunny De Boer leads the league with 78 saves, and has a 1.74 goals against average. SPU won all 15 previous meetings with the Saints, including a 1-0 win last year in Lacey on a goal by Heather Young. The Falcons won this season's first meeting 2-1 on Oct. 4 in Seattle behind goals by Hannah Huesers and Shayla Page.
 
Western Oregon (5-4-3, 3-2-3 GNAC) -- The fifth-place Wolves are undefeated in the last four outings, including a 1-1 tie with first-place Western Washington. They have not lost in five GNAC home games, compiling a 3-0-2 mark at WOU Soccer Field. Makana Pundyke leads a balanced attack with three goals. Goalkeeper Amanda Rose Johnson posted five shutouts and a 0.56 goals against average. SPU, which owns a 22-2-1 series lead, won 18 consecutive encounters before tying the Wolves 1-1 on Sept. 27, 2012 in Monmouth, Ore. The Falcons swept the season series in 2013 with a pair of 1-0 victories. They Monmouth meeting was won on an 86th-minute goal by Heather Young.

 

Coach Chuck  Sekyra
In his 12th season, Chuck Sekyra has guided Seattle Pacific to a remarkable 203-32-19 record, three Final Four appearances and the 2008 national championship. Sekyra posted his 200th win on Sept. 18, 2013 with a 4-1 home victory over Simon Fraser. He directed the 2013 unit to the GNAC Tournament title. Seven of Sekyra's SPU squads won GNAC regular-season championships and all 12 of his teams 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.
 
2013 Review
The SPU women registered a 15-6-1 overall record in 2013, won GNAC Tournament championship and participated in the postseason for the 11th straight season. They beat Sonoma State 1-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament before falling 2-0 at Western Washington. The Falcons had a 10-4-0 conference record, finishing third in the GNAC standings. Graduated goalkeeper Natalie Harold was the GNAC Tournament MVP and defender Josie Graybeal is the only other departed starter. SPU outscored foes 39-16 led by the eight goals of Laura Moore and six from Hannah Huesers. The defense blanked 11 opponents.