Box score, play-by-play

SEATTLE – Almost exactly a year to the day after Tyler Schultz beat nationally ranked Grand Canyon with one goal in Arizona, he did it again with two goals in Seattle.

The Seattle Pacific junior midfielder scored late in the first half and early in the second on Thursday, and Elliot Morton added a second-half tally as the Falcons knocked off the No. 19 Antelopes in a non-conference men's soccer game at Interbay Stadium, 3-0.

The victory got SPU (5-5-2) to the .500 mark for the first time this season. The Falcons are on a 5-1-1 tear after starting out 0-4-1.

Senior goalkeeper Kaleb Kuehn (Marysville, Wash./Marysville-Pilchuck HS), in his first action of the season, made two saves to earn the shutout. It was the sixth clean sheet of his career and the second straight year he has kept Grand Canyon (9-2-1) off the scoreboard.

“A big, big win for us tonight to beat the No. 1 team in our region right now,” exclaimed SPU coach Mark Collings. “We really took it to them tonight. Tyler Schultz was fantastic again.”

Schultz put Seattle Pacific on the board at 37:00 when he picked up a loose ball in the right side of the penalty area, turned, and fired from 10 yards away into the back right corner.

Brandon Kuenzi and Morton helped set up Schultz for a 2-0 Falcons lead at 52:23. Sophomore defender Kuenzi (Silverton,Ore.) took a long throw-in from the left side that floated into the box to Morton. He flicked it on to Schultz at the top right corner of goalkeeper Ben Paneccasio's 6-yard box, and Schultz drove it into the top right corner.

“We took our chances and put them away pretty well because we didn't have very many shots on goal,” said Schultz.

The Falcons had 11 shots, a figure matched by GCU. But Schultz converted two of his three attempts, increasing his season goal count to a team-leading six. He led SPU with eight goals in 2009.




Morton (Tacoma, Wash./Bellarmine Prep), who made his mark as a defender during his first two years as a Falcon, but recently has switched to forward, headed in a perfectly placed long free kick by junior defender Dillon Ballard (Corbett. Ore.) to make it 3-0 at 63:45. Ballard's free kick from about 35 yards away found Morton at the top of the goalkeeper's box.

Those were the first road goals of the year allowed by Grand Canyon, which is the top-ranked team in the West Region. The Antelopes won their first four road games by a combined score of 13-0, including a 2-0 victory at Western Washington on Tuesday.

Schultz, whose hometown of Scottsdale is a short drive away from the Phoenix-based Grand Canyon campus, netted the only goal last Oct. 12 to help SPU claim a 1-0 road victory when the Antelopes were ranked No. 17 in the country.

He clearly enjoys playing against familiar foes from his home state.

“I'm originally from Arizona and it's really fun to play with old friends. It definitely gets me pumped up,” Schultz explained. “It's the players, I know them and I know the coaches. It just gets you pumped up and you want to show your best.”

As effective as Schultz was up front, the SPU defense was equally impressive on the backline. Antelopes forward Kyle Ciliento, who entered the game with 14 goals, was limited to only one shot Thursday.

“I've got to give it to Brandon Kuenzi and Jon Pearman in the back. Those two were sensational and shut down one of the better players in our region,” Collings said.

Not only have the Falcons reached the .500 mark, they have crossed into positive goal-scoring territory for the first time this fall. SPU now has put 17 on the board and allowed 16.

SPU returns to action on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Interbay Stadium in a non-conference game against the University of Mary from Bismarck, N.D.




NCAA MEN'S SOCCER
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Interbay Stadium/Seattle, Wash.

Seattle Pacific 3, (No. 19) Grand Canyon 0

Scoring – 1, SPU: Tyler Schultz (unassisted), 37:00; 2, SPU: Schultz (Brandon Kuenzi and Elliot Morton), 52:23; 3, SPU: Morton (Dillon Ballard), 63:45.

Shots – SPU 11, GCU 11.
Saves – SPU (Kaleb Kuehn) 2, GCU (Ben Paneccasio) 1.
Corner kicks – SPU 2, GCU 3.
Fouls – SPU 16, GCU 6.
Offsides – SPU 2, GCU 0.
Attendance – 253.

Records –
Seattle Pacific 5-5-2
Grand Canyon 9-2-1

Next game –
University of Mary at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, Oct. 16, Interbay Stadium, 7:00 p.m.