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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23 –
Seattle Pacific at (#20) Western Washington
7:00 p.m. PDT, Harrington Field, Bellingham, Wash.
•Webcast & LiveStats:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/wwu/
 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25 –
Seattle Pacific at Simon Fraser
5:00 p.m. PDT, Terry Fox Field, Burnaby, B.C.
•Webcast & LiveStats:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/sfu/
 
The top two teams in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference clash on Thursday, Oct. 23 in Bellingham when Seattle Pacific (8-3-2, 6-2-2 GNAC) visits 20th-ranked Western Washington (12-0-2, 8-0-2). Kick-off is 7 p.m. at Harrington Field, the Vikings' new on-campus soccer facility. The Falcons won their last three games and bring a five-game unbeaten streak into the clash of NCAA Division II soccer powers that features the 2013 GNAC Tournament champions (SPU) and the regular-season winner (WWU). Undefeated Western has a six-point lead in the standings so SPU must win to stay in the league title race. Something's gotta give as the Falcons lead the league in goals (29) while WWU has surrendered just four opposing scores this season. The two teams tied 1-1 on Sept. 20 in Seattle with Western getting the equalizer in the 87th minute. On Saturday, Oct. 25 SPU travels to Burnaby, B.C. to play Simon Fraser (2-12-0, 2-8-0). Kick-off is 5 p.m. at Terry Fox Field. The Falcons are undefeated (8-0-1) in nine all-time meetings versus the Clan.
 
Dynamic Duo
SPU is the highest scoring team in the conference with 29 goals. Seventeen of those scores came from the prolific pair of Hannah Huesers (10) and Isabel Farrell (7), who rank first and second among GNAC scoring leaders.
 


Recapping Last Week
The Falcons posted two road wins, extending their unbeaten streak to five. Hannah Huesers scored twice and Heather Young netted the game-winning goal in the 78th minute of a 3-1 victory at Saint Martin's (Oct. 16). At Western Oregon (Oct. 18), Isabel Farrell converted a 29th-minute penalty, after Laura Moore was fouled in the box, for the lone goal. Goalkeeper Alexa Hughes collected her second shutout.

 

Throw-Ins
Isabel Farrell compiled two goals and two assists during the last three outings. She has picked up a point in nine of 13 games ... The SPU defense allowed just two goals over the last 442 minutes ... Chuck Sekyra recorded his 200th coaching victory at SPU on Sept. 18 with a 4-1 home win over Simon Fraser. He has a 205-32-19 record in 12 seasons.
 
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. Last season SPU reached the West Region semifinal before losing 2-0 at Western Washington. The Falcons advanced to the Final Four on three occasions (2005, 2007, 2008).
 
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
Western Washington (12-0-2, 8-0-2) -- The 20th-ranked Vikings won their second straight GNAC regular-season title in 2013 before losing the league's tournament championship to SPU on a penalty kick tiebreaker. WWU compiled a 20-2-1 record last year and advanced to the national semifinals. The Vikings surrendered just four goals this season as 'keeper Ashley Haden has racked up eight shutouts and a 0.28 goals against average. Jessica Bertucci tallied six of the team's 14 goals. Twelfth-year coach Travis Connell, a four-year SPU men's soccer letterman (1991-95), owns WWU's all-time mark with 153 coaching wins. The Falcons lead the all-time series 18-7-5 despite not beating Western since Oct. 27, 2012. The teams tied 1-1 on Sept. 20 in Seattle during this season's first meeting.
 
Simon Fraser (2-12-0, 2-8-0) -- The Clan became a GNAC member in 2010 as the first Canadian school to join the NCAA. Annie Hamel is in her first season as head coach at SFU, which was directed for the previous 25 years by Shelley Howieson. The Clan bring a six-game losing streak into the week. Olivia Aguilar accounted for three of the team's seven goals and Devon Kollmyer distributed three assists. Goalkeeper Priya Sandhu has two shutouts and a 2.49 goals against average. The Falcons own an 8-0-1 series advantage, including a 4-1 win on Sept. 18 in Seattle during this season's first meeting.

 

Coach Chuck  Sekyra
In his 12th season, Chuck Sekyra has guided Seattle Pacific to a remarkable 205-32-19 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 2007 NSCAA National Coach of the Year award.
 
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.