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SEATTLE – Kelsey Jenkins might not be able to replicate the shot. But she made it when it mattered.

Jenkins perfectly placed a 35th-minute free kick into the upper right corner, starting ninth-ranked Seattle Pacific on its way to a 2-0 victory over Montana State Billings in the second round of the NCAA Division II women's soccer tournament at Interbay Stadium.




"I'm definitely not going to hit that shot a lot of times in my life," Jenkins exclaimed. "It was definitely one to remember."

The top seed in the West Region, SPU (16-1-2) advances to meet No. 3 seed UC San Diego. That Sweet 16 matchup, which serves as the West Region championship game, will be contested on Thursday, Nov. 18 in Austin, Texas at the home of the South Central Region's No. 1 seed St. Edward's. The host Hilltoppers play Central Missouri with that South Central victor meeting the West winner on Saturday, Nov. 20 for a Final Four berth.

Seattle Pacific and Montana State Billings, rivals from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, were meeting for the third time this year. League champion SPU swept the two regular-season meetings, 3-0 in Seattle and 2-1 in overtime at Billings.

“Playing any team like that a third time is not an easy task. I liked how our kids handled that,” Falcons coach Chuck Sekyra said. “I thought it was the best we played out of all three games against them, and I thought we had to (in order) to beat them.”

A junior midfielder, Jenkins (Kent, Wash./Kentwood HS) set up for her free kick 23 yards away from the goal to the right of the penalty-area restraining arc. She floated the ball over a five-player Yellowjackets wall and tucked it into the upper right corner, just beyond the reach of Billings goalkeeper Sabrina Grandke-Bawab at 34:03.

"I knew (Grandke-Bawab) would sort of be leaning toward the far post, thinking that the wall had (the near post) covered," Jenkins said. “I was lucky enough to get a good strike and sort of bend it around the wall to a place that she wasn't.”

The sixth score of the year for Jenkins was a goal that her father would certainly appreciate. Tommy Jenkins netted a number of well-struck shots himself as a first-division English player with Southampton (1969-72) and later with the original Seattle Sounders (1976-79).

"It was a great goal by Kelsey. I don't think our keeper could have done anything about it," said Billings coach Don Trentham. "We had a great game on Thursday. Having to turn around on Saturday and do it against one of the best teams in the country, we knew it would be tough."

Playing in their first NCAA Tournament, the No. 5-seeded Yellowjackets (13-6-1) defeated No. 4 Cal State L.A. 1-0 on Thursday in Seattle before having its season ended by SPU.

At 82:31, it was a foul on Jenkins just inside the penalty area on the right side that led to a penalty-kick insurance goal.

Junior forward Brandi Hamre (Bremerton, Wash./Central Kitsap HS) sent the penalty try into the back right corner for her sixth goal of the season.

The Falcons are into round of 16 for the first time since 2008, the year they won the national championship. SPU was bumped out by Chico State in last year's first round, despite not surrendering a goal. The scoreless tie was decided in Chico's favor by virtue of a 4-3 penalty-kick tiebreaker.



SPU's senior goalkeeper Maddie Dickinson (Vancouver, Wash./Skyview HS) extended her impressive streak of postseason shutout minutes to 343:07. She has posted three consecutive playoff shutouts, including 108 perfect minutes against West Florida in the 2008 NCAA title game. Dickinson has not yielded a goal since the 36th minute of the 2008 semifinal against Metro State.

The GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, Dickinson logged her school-record 28th career shutout and ninth of the season. She made two outstanding saves against Montana State.

The last of those came with 10:41 left in the game and the Falcons still clinging to a 1-0 lead. Jennifer Larsen of the Yellowjackets sent a through ball to Carly Valentine, who took it to the top of the box and launched a shot that was floating toward the right side. Dickinson leaped to her left and caught it in midair at the right post.



NCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER
NCAA Division II Tournament, Second Round
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Interbay Stadium/Seattle, Wash.

(No. 9) Seattle Pacific 2, Montana State Billings 0

Scoring – 1, SPU: Kelsey Jenkins (unassisted), 34:03; 2, SPU: Brandi Hamre (penalty kick), 82:31.
Shots – MSUB 5, SPU 12.
Saves – MSUB (Sabrina Grandke-Bawab) 3, SPU (Maddie Dickinson) 2.
Corner kicks – MSUB 1, SPU 4.
Fouls – MSUB 12, SPU 13.
Offsides – MSUB 0, SPU 2.
Attendance – 413.

Records –
Seattle Pacific 16-1-2
Montana State Billings 13-6-1.

Next game –
SPU vs. UC San Diego at South Central Region top seed
Thursday, Nov. 18