Ranked eighth in the country, the Seattle Pacific University women's soccer team opened its 2008 campaign at Interbay Stadium with three wins and a tie.
The Lady Falcons, a 2007 Final Four team which went 20-0 in the regular season, topped off its brief home stand with impressive wins over two nationally ranked opponents, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State Chico.
SPU dispatched the 16th-ranked Chico State Wildcats last Saturday with a 3-0 stomping. Two of the Falcons' goals were scored by hard-charging reserve forward Kayla Stiegemeier, showcasing the Falcons' depth of talent.
"We moved the ball well, we defended well and our defensive shape was as good as it's been all year," said SPU coach Chuck Sekyra, himself a former SPU standout defenseman. "[Chico] didn't really have a lot of chances."
Sophomore forward Amanda Johnson scored her team-leading third goal of the season just 1:26 into Saturday's game, with deft moves past the Wildcat defense. Her blast into the left side of the net from 17 yards out put the Falcons ahead 1-0 before Chico knew what hit them. Midfielder Meredith Teague and forward Jocelyn Charette earned assists on the play. All three played their prep soccer in the Puget Sound region.
Stiegemeier's first goal into the left side of the net came with eight minutes to go in the first half. The score began with a corner kick from Charette and a header from defensive stalwart Claire Grubbs, which deposited the ball at Stiegemeier's feet.
SPU is averaging 21.2 shots per game against its opponents' 6.5 shots. In last Saturday's 3-0 shutout of a good Chico team, sophomore goalkeeper Maddie Dickinson wasn't required to make a single save.[[In-content Ad]]
