• Complete Release (pdf)

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10 --
(#25) SPU at Northwest Nazarene
3:00 p.m. PST (4 pm MST), NNU Soccer Field, Nampa, Idaho

MONDAY, OCTOBER 12 --
(#25) SPU at (#17) Grand Canyon
7:30 p.m., GCU Soccer Field, Phoenix, Ariz.

The 25th-ranked Seattle Pacific men's soccer team (7-1-3, 1-1-1 GNAC) continues its four-game road trip with a pair of games this weekend. The Falcons visit Great Northwest Athletic Conference rival Northwest Nazarene (4-6-1, 0-2-1 GNAC) on Saturday, Oct. 10. Kick-off is 3 p.m. Pacific Time (4 p.m. Mountain) at NNU Soccer Field in Nampa, Idaho. SPU won all five previous meetings against the Crusaders. On Monday, Oct. 12, the Falcons visit 17th-ranked Grand Canyon for a 7:30 p.m. non-conference game in Phoenix, Ariz. SPU is in a difficult stretch of schedule during which they play six of seven games on the road. The Falcons next home game is Oct. 17 against Montana State Billings.

Terrific Turnaround
The SPU men have surpassed their win total from the entire 2008 season that finished with a 6-10-3 record. Through 11 games a year ago, SPU had a 4-4-3 record and had been outscored 15-13. The Falcons are 7-1-3 at the 11-game mark of the 2009 season, boasting an 18-8 scoring advantage over their foes.

Recent Recap
The Falcons sustained their first loss of the season on Oct. 1, giving up three unanswered goals in a 3-2 home loss to Saint Martin's. SPU rebounded quickly, posting a 1-0 victory at Western Washington on Oct. 3. Senior Enis Isufi netted the lone goal in the 14th minute and goalkeeper Kaleb Kuehn preserved his fifth shutout.

Throw-Ins
The SPU men have outshot opponents by a combined 188-107 tally, including a 74-34 advantage in shots directly on goal ... Senior Alec Nelson, who led last year's team with five goals, again tops the Falcons in scoring. Two of his four goals have been game winners ... Junior goalkeeper Kaleb Kuehn leads the conference in shutouts (5) and goals against average (0.75).

Strenuous Schedule
The Falcons have already played two ranked opponents. They tied then 7th-ranked Sonoma State 1-1 on Aug. 31 and defeated No. 25 Metro State 4-1 on Sept. 12. In addition to the five remaining GNAC games, SPU has three difficult non-conference games left on the schedule. The Falcons visit No. 17 Grand Canyon on Oct. 12 and then travel to Los Angeles for a treacherous two-game road trip. SPU plays at No. 1 Cal State L.A. on Oct. 21 before a clash against defending national champion Cal State Dominguez Hills on Oct. 23.

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 dropped one spot, to No. 25, in the Oct. 6 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.

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
Northwest Nazarene (4-6-1, 0-2-1 GNAC) -- The Crusaders are second-year GNAC men's soccer competitors who finished with a 10-8-2 record in 2008 with a 2-5-1 league mark. Nine different players have accounted for the 20 NNUscores, led by the six goals of Alex Mangeac. SPU won all five previous meetings with Northwest Nazarene, including a 3-2 overtime decision on Oct. 20, 2008 in the most recent encounter.

Grand Canyon (8-1-1) -- The Antelopes are in first place in the Pacific West Conference standings with a 5-0 league ledger. They have won seven straight games and host Hawaii Hilo on Saturday (Oct. 10) before entertaining SPU on Monday. Kyle Ciliento leads the GCU attack as his nine goals are half of the team's total of 18. Goalkeeper Ben Paneccasio has five shutouts and a 0.58 goals against average. SPU leads the all-time series 11-3-4, including a 2-1 win on Oct. 27, 2008 in Seattle during the most recent clash. They tied 1-1 on Sept. 15, 2008 in Phoenix, the third consecutive draw in the series.

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 12-11-6 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.