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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7 --
SPU vs. Northwest Nazarene
7:00 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium (900), Seattle, Wash.

The Seattle Pacific men's soccer team (10-5-3, 3-3-1 GNAC) concludes the regular season Saturday seeking to halt a three-game losing streak and keep its slim playoff hopes alive. The Falcons entertain Great Northwest Athletic Conference rival Northwest Nazarene (5-10-1, 0-6-1) on Nov. 7. Kick-off is 7 p.m. at Interbay Stadium where Senior Night festivities will commence 10 minutes earlier.  SPU won all six previous meetings against the Crusaders. A win Saturday would move the Falcons into third place in the conference standings. They could claim second if Western Washington loses Thursday against Saint Martin's, which has already clinched its first league crown. SPU would tie for second with a win and a WWU draw. The Falcons are ranked sixth in this week's NCAA West Regional ratings and need to climb two places to receive one of the region's four NCAA Tournament berths. 

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 kickoff. All seats are general admission, priced at $6 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. SPU students and staff are admitted free.

Follow the Action Live
Live stats will be available during all SPU home soccer games and can be accessed via the internet at:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/spu/msoc

Senior Salute
Saturday night marks the final home playing appearance, and possibly the final collegiate game, for a quartet of Seattle Pacific seniors. They will be honored in a brief ceremony before the introduction of starting lineups. The SPU seniors are Jordan Dettmer, Enis Isufi, Alec Nelson and Corey Sinser. Dettmer (Snohomish, Wash.) is a four-year letterman defender who has played 58 career games. Isufi (Auburn, Wash.) is a two-year letterman midfielder who scored the game-winning goal at Western Washington on Oct. 3. Nelson (Lynnwood, Wash.), a four-year letterman, tallied 15 career goals and 10 assists. Sinser is a four-year letterman who netted three goals in 38 career games.

This Week's Opponent
Northwest Nazarene (5-10-1, 0-6-1 GNAC) -- The Crusaders are second-year GNAC men's soccer competitors who finished with a 10-8-2 record in 2008 and a 2-5-1 league mark. Ten different players have accounted for the 28 NNU scores, led by the seven goals of Alex Mangeac. SPU won all six previous meetings with Northwest Nazarene, including a 2-1 overtime decision on Oct. 10 in Nampa, Idaho in the most recent encounter. Elliot Morton netted the Falcons' golden goal in the 100th minute.

Recent Recap
The Falcons sustained their third straight loss, falling 4-0 at home against Western Washington on Oct. 29. The 4-0 score was the third-largest win in the series for the Vikings and their most lopsided since a 9-0 rout in 1970 during legendary SPU coach Cliff McCrath's inaugural season. Western drew a split of the season series after the Falcons were 1-0 victors on Oct. 3 in Bellingham. SPU still holds a comfortable 39-12-5 lead in the all-time series.

Throw-Ins
Sophomore midfielder Tyler Schultz has eight goals to lead SPU and rank fourth among GNAC players. Schultz scored five of his goals during a four-game span from Oct. 12-21 ...  Sophomore midfielder Drew Williams ranks No. 2 in the conference with nine assists, including three in SPU's 4-1 win over MSU Billings on Oct. 17 ... The Falcons have outshot opponents by a combined 260-212 tally, including a 106-80 advantage in attempts directly on goal ... Junior goalkeeper Kaleb Kuehn has six shutouts, twice as many as any other goalkeeper in the GNAC. His 1.11 goals against average leads the league.

Terrific Turnaround
The SPU men (10-5-3) have their most single-season wins since the 2006 team finished with a 12-7 record. They have four more victories than last season's squad (6-10-3).  SPU has outscored foes 28-21 after a 38-23 scoring deficit last season.

Strenuous Schedule
The Falcons have a 2-1-1 record this season against ranked opponents. They tied then No. 17 Sonoma State 0-0 (Aug. 31), defeated No. 20 Metro State 4-1 (Sept. 12) and No. 17 Grand Canyon 1-0 (Oct. 12) and lost 2-0 at No. 10 Cal State L.A. (Oct. 21). Cal State L.A. was ranked No. 1 earlier in the season.

Return to the Rankings
The Seattle Pacific men's soccer team returned to the national poll Sept. 29 for the first time in two years, receiving a No. 25 ranking. They rose as high as No. 22 and remained in the rankings for four weeks before dropping out Oct. 27. The Falcons were ranked for the first time in the NCAA Division II poll released by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and adidas since Sept. 25, 2007 when they were No. 6 before losing consecutive games to drop out of the next poll.

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 20 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 16-15-6 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.