Alumna T. Sawyer

WPFC Alumna named the GNAC womens soccer Athlete of the Week

Junior defender Taylor Sawyer, who helped 12th-ranked Seattle Pacific move within one win of the league title with a pair of shutouts, was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference women’s soccer Athlete of the Week on Monday.

WPFC Alumna Sawyer anchors a defense that blanked its last four opponents. The product of North Mason High School in Belfair, Wash. helped the Falcons limit last week’s two opponents to only 14 shots.

SPU outshot Saint Martin’s 30-4 en route to a 2-0 victory last Thursday in Lacey, Wash. On Saturday the Falcons won 3-0 at Western Oregon with a 17-10 advantage in the shot count.

“She had a wonderful week, organizing our back line, reading the run of play, breaking up our opponents’ ideas and playing so well,” SPU coach Chuck Sekyra said of Sawyer.

"The one thing that sticks out to me this week is that we defended both games great. Our goalkeeping was sound and our back line was fantastic."

SPU registered 10 shutouts this season and is yielding just 0.47 goals per game.

Sawyer received All-America recognition in each of her first two seasons, garnering second-team acclaim in 2010 and honorable mention notice in 2009.

This is the first Player of the Week award for Sawyer, who shared the honor with Central Washington’s Carson McKole. She is the third Falcon to be honored this season, joining fellow WPFC Alumnae Brandi Hamre (Sept. 12), and Megan Lindsay (Oct. 17).

(10/23/11) Taylor Sawyer, Seattle Pacific (D, 5-5, Jr., Gig Harbor, WA - North Mason) and Carson McKole, Central Washington (M, 5-2, Jr., Oak Harbor, WA). . .Sawyer contributed to a pair of shutouts as the Falcons moved to within one win of clinching their third straight conference title with victories at Saint Martin’s and Western Oregon. SPU outshot the Saints and Wolves by a combined margin of 47-14 forcing Brooke Yokers to make just five saves. “She (Sawyer) had a wonderful week, organizing our back line, reading the run of play, breaking up our opponents ideas and playing so well,” SPU coach Chuck Sekyra said.