• Complete Release (pdf)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15 --
(#24) SPU at Saint Martin's
3:00 p.m. PST, SMU Soccer Field, Lacey, Wash.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17 --
(#24) SPU vs. Montana State Billings
7:00 p.m., Interbay Stadium (900), Seattle, Wash.

The 24th-ranked Seattle Pacific men's soccer team (9-1-3, 2-1-1 GNAC) seeks to gain ground in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with a pair of games this week against teams ahead of them in the standings. The Falcons visit Saint Martin's (8-6, 3-1) on Thursday, Oct. 15 for a 3 p.m. game at the new SMU Soccer Field on campus in Lacey, Wash. SPU will be looking to avenge its only loss, a 3-2 setback against Saint Martin's on Oct. 1 in Seattle. Thursday's outing caps a four-game road trip for the Falcons, who return home to Interbay Stadium to host Montana State Billings (8-2-2, 2-0-2) on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. The two GNAC rivals tied 1-1 in their first meeting on Sept. 19 in Billings.

Follow the Action Live
There is no webcast or livestats feed scheduled for Thursday's road game. Live stats will be available during SPU home soccer games and can be accessed via the internet at:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/spu/msoc

Ticket Talk
Tickets for SPU soccer games can be purchased in advance or at Interbay Stadium (3027 17th Ave. W., Seattle 98119) on game day. Ticket windows open one hour prior to games. All seats are general admission, priced at $6 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. SPU students and staff are admitted free. Groups or teams of 10 or more may qualify for special general admission rates by calling (206) 281-2085 in advance.

Recent Recap
The Falcons won their last three games, all on the road. They beat Western Washington 1-0 (Oct. 3) and posted a 2-1 overtime victory at Northwest Nazarene (Oct. 10) on a 100th-minute golden goal by sophomore Elliot Morton. SPU got a 51st-minute goal by Tyler Schultz in a 1-0 win at No. 17 Grand Canyon (Oct. 12).

Terrific Turnaround
At 9-1-3, the SPU men have their most single-season wins since the 2006 team finished with a 12-7 record. They already have three more victories than last season's squad, which finished at 6-10-3.  Through 13 games a year ago, SPU had a 4-6-3 record and had been outscored 21-15. SPU has outscored foes 21-9 in 13 games this year.

Throw-Ins
The SPU men have outshot opponents by a combined 205-123 tally, including twice as many (84-42) attempts directly on goal ... Three of the four goals by sophomore Tyler Schultz were game-winners, including Monday's 51st-minute tally at No. 17 Grand Canyon ... Junior goalkeeper Kaleb Kuehn has six shutouts, twice as many as any other goalkeeper in the GNAC. His 0.71 goals against average leads the conference.

Strenuous Schedule
The Falcons are unbeaten against ranked opponents. They tied then No. 17 Sonoma State 0-0 (Aug. 31) and defeated No. 20 Metro State 4-1 (Sept. 12) and No. 17 Grand Canyon 1-0 (Oct. 12). In addition to the four remaining GNAC games, SPU has a difficult non-conference road trip left on the schedule. The Falcons visit Los Angeles for two games beginning Oct. 21 at No. 13 Cal State L.A., which was ranked No. 1 last week. On Oct. 23, SPU clashes with defending national champion Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Conference Campaign
Seattle Pacific, which tied for the 2006 Great Northwest Athletic Conference title, is in pursuit of its first outright championship of the nine-year-old conference. The Falcons had a 4-4 record last season and were runners-up to league champion Western Washington. They seek to return to the postseason after a two-year absence. SPU has won five NCAA championships, the most recent in 1993, and have a Division II record 30 playoff appearances to their credit.

The Opponents
Saint Martin's (8-6-0, 3-1-0 GNAC) -- The league-leading Saints are third-year GNAC members who finished third in the conference standings last season. Ten different players have accounted for the 24 SMU scores, led by the seven goals of Xan Nixon. The Falcons won the first three meetings in the series, but their series lead decreased to 3-2 with SMU wins in the last two encounters. The Saints won this season's first meeting 3-2, rallying from a two-goal deficit on Oct. 1 in Seattle.

Montana State Billings (8-2-2, 2-0-2 GNAC) -- The Yellowjackets feature dangerous senior forward Sam Charles, who leads the GNAC with 14 goals. Charles has scored a point (goal and/or assist) in each of his last 15 games. Goalkeeper Matt Mitchell compiled three shutouts and a 0.84 goals against average. SPU owns a 5-3-2 lead in the all-time series despite the Yellowjackets winning three of the last four matchups. The teams tied 1-1 in this season's first meeting on Sept. 19 in Billings.

Return to the Rankings
The Seattle Pacific men's soccer team returned to the national rankings Sept. 29 for the first time in two years. They rose one spot, to No. 24, in this week's (Oct. 13) NCAA Division II poll released by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and adidas. The Falcons are ranked for the first time since Sept. 25, 2007 when they were No. 6 before losing consecutive games to drop out of the next poll. “I'm really excited for our group of guys. It's great for our team to have the coaches acknowledge what they've done,” said second-year SPU coach Mark Collings.

Youth Movement
Seattle Pacific's success has come despite fielding an inexperienced lineup that includes four freshmen and three sophomores among the primary starting 11. The 26-man roster includes 20 underclassmen, including 11 freshmen and nine sophomores. Just five of the 21 players who started at least one game this season are upperclassmen.

Coach Collings
Second-year coach Mark Collings is the third head coach in the 42-year history of Seattle Pacific men's soccer. He has a 15-11-6 record with the Falcons. Collings registered a 6-10-3 record in his first season, directing the team to a second-place GNAC finish (4-4) in 2008. He replaced Cliff McCrath, who compiled a 512-190-87 mark in 38 seasons (1970-2007). Arnie Aizstrauts was 1-14-1(1968-69). The co-captain of SPU's 1998 Final Four team, Collings was a five-year assistant coach. He avoided a first-year Falcon curse as his predecessors were winless in their inaugural seasons.

2009 Preview
Eight starters return for Seattle Pacific, including senior midfielder Alec Nelson (Lynnwood, Wash./Meadowdale) who is the team's leading returning scorer with five goals and three assists. The other returning starters are sophomore forward Ryan Brand, senior defender Jordan Dettmer, junior midfielder Andy Wolverton, sophomore defenders Elliot Morton and Griffin Fahling and sophomore midfielders Tyler Schultz and Drew Williams.  Nelson and Morton were first-team 2008 All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference selections, Williams was a second-team pick and Brand and Schulz were honorable mention honorees. The youthful 26-player roster includes 20 underclassmen, including a standout recruiting class of nine incoming freshmen.

2008 Review
Seattle Pacific completed the 2008 season with a 6-10-3 record, placing second in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings with a 4-4 mark. Less than half of the players on the roster had ever played a game for SPU before the 2008 season, including 10 freshmen. Six freshmen were regular starters as just four starters returned from the previous year. The Falcons bids for the GNAC title and a winning season were derailed by a late-season skid with losses in six of their last eight outings. SPU must fill the void left by departed senior starters, defender Colin Kosco, midfielder Wyatt Seddon-Johnstone and goalkeeper Ben Lovelace.