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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 –
UC San Diego at (#25) Seattle Pacific
7:00 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
 • LiveStats:  www.sidearmstats.com/spu/wsoc
 
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 –
(#25) Seattle Pacific at Chico State
7:30 p.m. PDT, University Soccer Stadium, Chico, Calif.
• LiveStats:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/csuchico/wsoc/xlive.htm 
 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 –
Notre Dame de Namur at (#25) Seattle Pacific
4:30 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
 • LiveStats:  www.sidearmstats.com/spu/wsoc
 
The 25th-ranked Seattle Pacific women play two of their first three games at home to start the 2014 women's soccer season. The campaign commences on Thursday, Sept. 4 with a home game against UC San Diego (0-0). Kick-off is 7 p.m. at Interbay Stadium, which had a new AstroTurf surface installed in July. The Tritons were victorious in their last four clashes against SPU. On Wednesday, Sept. 10 the Falcons visit Chico State for a 7:30 p.m. game at University Soccer Stadium. They have never lost in 11 all-time encounters (8-0-3) against Chico. SPU returns home to close out the non-conference portion of the schedule against Notre Dame de Namur on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 4:30 p.m. That is the opener of an Interbay Stadium doubleheader with the men's soccer team. The Falcons won their last four meetings with the Argonauts. GNAC play begins at home on Sept. 18 against Simon Fraser.
 
Season Openers
Seattle Pacific begins its 14th year of women's soccer competition with a 9-2-2 record in season-opening games. The Falcons are 12-0-1 in all-time home openers.
 
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.
 


Quoting Coach Chuck Sekyra
"UC San Diego is always a great team, we're excited to play them at home. We have something to prove this season, I feel. We just like the fact that we have so much talent back, so many starters back and I'm excited about what Izzy Farrell brings to the table. We have a deep team and a talented team. Our offensive scheme fits our talent, it fits our style. It's a talented group that can attack in a lot of different ways, but overall really does attack well together."
 
Playoff Pursuit
Seattle Pacific seeks to return to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the 12th straight year. The Falcons won the 2008 national championship. Last season they reached the West Region semifinal before losing 2-0 at Western Washington. SPU 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.
 
Throw-Ins
The Seattle Pacific women won at least 15 games in each of Coach Chuck Sekyra's previous 11 seasons, averaging just 2.6 losses per season during that span … Sekyra is three wins shy of the 200-victory mark with a 197-29-17 record with the Falcons.
 
Scouting the Opponents
UC San Diego (0-0-0) -- Thursday's matchup pits a pair of former national champions as SPU won in 2008 and San Diego is a two-time titlist (2000 & 2001). The Tritons went 7-6-5 overall and 6-5-5 in California Collegiate Athletic Association play a year ago, missing the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in 28 years under head coach Brian McManus. Senior Cassie Callahan returns after scoring a team-leading six goals in 2013. UCSD won the last four meetings to claim a 5-2 series lead over the Falcons. The Tritons won 2-1 at home in the 2013 season opener for both teams.
 
Chico State (0-0-0) -- The Wildcats return seven starters from a team that recorded an 8-8-2 record and placed fourth in the CCAA South standings. Goalkeeper Brianna Furner compiled 28 career wins and 19 shutouts. The Falcons have never lost in 11 all-time meetings with Chico State, forging an 8-0-3 series advantage. SPU was a 2-1 victor at home in 2011, the last meeting.
 
Notre Dame de Namur (0-0-0) -- The Argonauts, members of the PacWest Conference, have eight starters back from last season's squad that posted a 5-11-1 record. The most devastating departure was Adriana Cortes, whose eight goals accounted for over half of the team's total of 15. The goalkeeping tandem of Kelsee Berryman and Amy Rich returns after combining for five shutouts and a 1.45 goals against average.  After losing the first meeting 1-0 in overtime at NDNU during its inaugural season of 2001, SPU won the last seven series encounters against the Argos by a combined 21-2 score. The Falcons were 2-0 victors last season in Seattle.
 
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.
 
Coach Chuck Sekyra
In his 12th season, Chuck Sekyra has guided Seattle Pacific to a remarkable 197-29-17 record, three Final Four appearances and the 2008 national championship. 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.