A memorable soccer season

Women set high bar for future teams

By ASHLEY SWEENEY, Sports Editor

Published: January 9, 2008

Never before in the history of the SPU women's soccer program, has a team gone 23 straight games without a glitch. That is, until now.

The 2007 team accomplished this feat. Yes, they experienced struggles with injuries, wariness and juggling schedules, as most teams do, but one thing they didn't experience was a loss, for 23 consecutive competitions.

It was only in the first round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) final four games that the powerhouse Falcons tasted the bitterness of defeat, leaving them with an overall season record of 23-1.

SPU lost to the Franklin Peirce Ravens 0-2 in Orange Beach, Ala., on Nov. 29 in a game that, senior Sarah Martinez said, "just didn't go our way." The Falcons outshot their opponents 18-7 overall despite losing.

"In my opinion, there was no point in the game that I thought we were actually going to lose," Martinez said. "There weren't any real breakdowns. Our shots just kept hitting the post."

Martinez said that, although they were proud of their accomplishments over the season, the team's disappointment was evident.

"We were bummed. It was bad at first, you know. We cried. We were frustrated. It's always hard to lose knowing that we could have won," Martinez said of the loss.

Head coach Chuck Sekyra said that his team played as they had all season: in a dominating fashion, despite being unable to come out of the game with a win. He said that, sitting with his team after their first loss of the season, which ended up being their last game of the season, was something they had never experienced as a team before.

"I was just proud of them," Sekyra said. "It was tough to end on a loss, but I told them to focus on all the great moments we had this season," he added.

A moment that remains the most memorable of the season in the mind of forward Martinez was the Falcons' victory over Seattle University (SU) at their home turf on senior night. SPU shut out the Redhawks 2-0. It will be a while before the Falcons will get a chance to play them in a conference match again because SU is moving up to Division I status next season.

The SPU women's soccer team continued to rule their conference and then went on to bring life and a big fan base to the Interbay Stadium where they hosted the NCAA regional final games. They defended their perfect record by taking out three top teams, including Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State L.A. and Incarnate Word with admirable skill and confident play.

"They came to practice every single day and made each other better by pushing one another. This was a complete team success," Sekyra said of the season.

A great deal of individual success accompanied the end of the season as well. When all was played and done, several SPU players were rewarded and acknowledged for their outstanding performances.

Senior Kara Hamby, junior Claire Grubbs and Martinez were each named to the women's soccer NSCAA/adidas Division II All-American First Team.

Martinez ended her final year as an SPU soccer player with 43 points, 17 goals and nine assists for the season. She was named Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Player of the Year and now holds four GNAC records.

Sekyra has five senior athletes leaving the program this year. It may seem like this loss would leave some big shoes to fill in the leadership department, but Martinez said she doesn't think it will be a problem for the team to come. She has faith in the strength of the soon-to-be juniors and seniors, whom she said gained a great deal of experience this past season.

"They were my first recruiting class, so it's a little strange for me. They were a great group," Sekyra said of the departing seniors.

Coach Sekyra said that what made this particular season special was how hard his athletes played for one another and looked after each other. He said he loved the fact that his team could be so goofy and spunky, but that he didn't have to tell them when it was time to be serious and get down to business because they already knew.

"It's a wonderful feeling to have the trust in your team that I had this year, to be able to say 'this is how my team is going to play today.' I knew every time," Sekyra said.

But not all credit for a near perfect season can be placed on the shoulders of the players.

"He is probably one of the most prepared coaches that I've ever met," Martinez said of Sekyra. Martinez said that Sekyra knew everything about every team they played, every player on each team, their strategy, behavior and any key statistics to help prepare his team with the best game plan.

Unique players and an eager coach combined with a tough work ethic and trust all appear to be things that made this team what is was: a winning team.

There will always be coaches, players, teams and seasons that are unforgettable, whether it's in the big leagues or at a small university. They are teams that don't give up, that play with confidence and that bring the crowds to their feet in anticipation of a brilliant play.

The 2006-2007 SPU women's soccer team may or may not be one of these teams, but in the mind of their coach, they will be the team that showed that "team chemistry is just as important as talent."

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