• NCAA Bracket (pdf)

SEATTLE -- Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion Seattle Pacific will play at home Saturday to start its eighth straight foray into the women's soccer playoffs. The Falcons (15-1-2) received the No. 1 seed in the West Region for the 48-team NCAA Division II Tournament field that was announced Monday.

SPU, which brings a nine-game unbeaten streak into the postseason, received a first-round bye and will await its opponent for a 1 p.m. second-round matchup on Saturday, Nov. 13.

Fourth-seeded Cal State L.A. (15-3-1) and No. 5 Montana State Billings (12-5-1) will play a first-round contest on Thursday, Nov. 11 in Seattle. Kick-off is 3 p.m. at Interbay Stadium where the winner will play SPU on Saturday.

Tickets for NCAA Tournament games can be purchased at the gate on game day and are $7 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. Interbay Stadium is located just off the Dravus Street exit of 15th Avenue, at 3027 17th Ave. W., Seattle 98119. For more information please contact the SPU Ticket Office at: (206) 281-2085.



“The West is a very strong region and I just couldn't be prouder of our women,” said Coach Chuck Sekyra, who directed the Falcons to the playoffs in each of his eight seasons. He believes playing at home gives his team a distinct edge.

“It's wonderful, we are strong at home. It's something that is a great advantage obviously to have two teams come play on Thursday and be able to watch them and rest a little bit and play the winner on Saturday on our home field, in front of our home crowd and our families.”

SPU last hosted playoff games in 2008, and parlayed the home field advantage into a run to the national championship.

The Falcons have a 6-1-1 record this season at Interbay Stadium where they have lost only once in the last 51 home games.

Pacific West Conference champion BYU-Hawaii (14-1-2) drew the No. 2 seed in the West Region and will host a second-round game against the first-round winner between No. 3 UC San Diego (14-2-3) and No. 6 San Francisco State (11-4-5).

The West Region's two second-round winners will meet at the site of the highest remaining seed from the South Central Region for a third-round clash on Nov. 18 with the victor advancing to the Nov. 20 quarterfinals. The top two seeds in the South Central are St. Edward's (16-1-1) and Central Missouri (18-0-0).

The 2010 semifinals and championship game are scheduled for Dec. 2 and 4 at Frazier Stadium in Louisville, Ky.

The SPU women have advanced to the Final Four in three of the last five years, including 2008 when they won the national title with a 1-0 overtime win over previously undefeated West Florida.

This year's Falcons captured their seventh GNAC championship with a 12-1-1 league ledger.

Sophomore forward Megan Lindsay (Spokane, Wash./Gonzaga Prep) leads an SPU attack that has outscored opponents 45-9. She netted 11 goals, including six during the final four games of the regular season. Junior Brandi Hamre (Bremerton, Wash./Central Kitsap HS) is the top playmaker with nine assists.

The SPU defense is anchored by senior goalkeeper Maddie Dickinson (Vancouver, Wash./Skyview HS), who has a 0.49 goals against average and played a part in 10 shutouts. Dickinson is the school record holder with 27 career saves.

Seattle Pacific has a 12-5-3 all-time record in NCAA Tournament play and advanced to the championship game in 2005 and 2008.

Last year the Falcons were eliminated in a first-round game played in San Diego, Calif. They battled Chico State to a scoreless tie through regulation and two, 10-minute overtimes before falling 4-3 in the penalty-kick tiebreaker.

“Our team all year has played with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder after that loss last year,” said Sekyra, who believes the setback motivated this year's team to avoid another first-round exit.

“I think that's why we're sitting No. 1. I would expect my team and these ladies to come out with the goal of going way beyond.”

Defending NCAA Division II champion Grand Valley State (17-1-2) is the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region.


2010 NCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S SOCCER TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS
(* host school)

West Region (Nov. 11 & 13)
Cal State L.A. (15-3-1) vs. Montana State Billings (12-5-1)
winner vs. Seattle Pacific* (15-1-2)

UC San Diego (14-2-3) vs. San Francisco State (11-4-5)
winner vs. BYU-Hawaii* (14-1-2)

South Central Region (Nov. 12 & 14)
Abilene Christian (16-3-0) vs. Angelo State (13-6-1)
winner vs. St. Edward's* (16-1-1)

Midwestern State (16-3-0) vs. Truman (10-3-5)
winner vs. Central Missouri* (18-0-0)

Atlantic Region (Nov. 12 & 14)
Kutztown (14-4-2) vs. Bloomsburg (12-4-3)
winner vs. West Chester* (17-1-2)

Slippery Rock (11-7-1) vs. West Virginia Wesleyan (12-3-2)
winner vs. California, Pa.* (18-1-2)

East Region (Nov. 14 & 14)
Franklin Pierce (14-5-1) vs. Bridgeport (13-3-2)
winner vs. Saint Rose* (21-0-0)

American International (13-6-1) vs. Georgian Court (11-8-2)
winner vs. C.W. Post* (13-1-4)

Central Region (Nov. 12 & 14)
Metro State (12-5-2) vs. Colorado Mines (11-6-3)
winner vs. Fort Lewis* (17-2-1)

Regis (14-4-1) vs. New Mexico Highlands (12-6-2)
winner vs. Winona State* (14-3-1)

Midwest Region (Nov. 12 & 14)
Tiffin (12-5-2) vs. Quincy (13-4-3)
winner vs. Grand Valley State* (17-1-2)

Northern Kentucky (16-2-1) vs. Northern Michigan (9-5-5)
winner vs. Wisconsin-Parkside (16-2-1)

Southeast Region (Nov. 12 & 14)
Lenior-Rhyne (16-2-1) vs. Belmont Abbey (17-1-3)
winner vs. Columbus State* (19-1-1)

UNC-Pembroke (15-3-2) vs. Pfeiffer (13-5-2)
winner vs. Armstrong Atlantic (13-3-2)

South Region (Nov. 12 & 14)
Florida Southern (10-5-3) vs. Florida Tech (9-6-2)
winner vs. Rollins* (10-4-2))

Tampa (15-5-0) vs. North Alabama (16-3-1)
winner vs. West Florida* (17-2-1)