• Boxscore & Play-by-Play

LACEY, Wash. – The third time was a charm Saturday for the Seattle Pacific men's soccer team.

Junior Tyler Schultz scored on SPU's third straight shot, a putback of his own miss in the 73rd minute as SPU defeated defending Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion Saint Martin's 1-0 at SMU Soccer Field.

The Falcons (1-4-2) got their first win of the season and remained undefeated in conference play with a 1-0-1 record. They snapped a three-game losing skid against SMU, including two setbacks last season.

“I'm really proud of how hard the team played today,” said SPU coach Mark Collings. “Saint Martin's is a very good team, the defending conference champions and they really had our number last year. For us to come down here and play as hard as we did is a testament to these young men.”

The Saints (3-4-0) stumbled in their GNAC opener as they began defense of the league crown.

Schultz (Scottsdale, Ariz.) broke the scoreless draw with just over 17 minutes left to play. His 12-yard strike at 72:43 capped a frenetic stretch in front of the Saints goalmouth that saw SPU direct a trio of shots on goal.

Falcons freshman Blaine Carver (Soldotna, Alaska) beat goalkeeper Zac Lubin to a cross and headed it toward the SMU goal. The ball bounced off the post and into the air to Schultz who headed it back to the goal.

A Saints defender cleared that ball off the line, but Schultz collected the rebound and pounded it into the back of the net for his second goal of the season.

Sophomore goalkeeper Zach Johnson (Snohomish, Wash./Snohomish HS) and the SPU defense took care of the rest, keeping the Saints off the scoreboard despite being outshot 17-14. Johnson was credited with six saves en route to his second shutout.

Johnson's teammates cleared three balls off the goal line.

The Saints scored six goals against SPU last season in a pair of 3-2 wins.

“Our back line was very good today,” Collings said. “Saint Martin's is good going forward and our backs and midfield were definitely up to the challenge.”

Lubin stopped four shots for the Saints.

The Falcons have a win and tie in their last two outings in the wake of four consecutive road losses. Collings believes this positive result will go a long way in helping his team recover from the slow start.

“It's amazing how quick sometimes a win can erase some things. That's not to say we don't have plenty of things to work on, but it's amazing how quickly a victory can change the psyche of a team.

“The fact that we were able to keep our spirits high and continue to play as hard as we have been the past few games considering things haven't really gone our way really speaks to the kind of young men we have in our program. I'm really happy for them.”

The SPU men resume action at Montana State Billings on Thursday, Sept. 30 at 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time.

The next home game for the Falcons is Saturday, Oct. 2 against Northwest Nazarene. Kick-off is 4:30 p.m. at Interbay Stadium.


NCAA MEN'S SOCCER
Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010
SMU Soccer Field/Lacey, Wash.

Seattle Pacific 1, Saint Martin's 0

Scoring -- 1, SPU, Tyler Schultz, 72:43.

Shots – SPU 14, SMU 17.
Saves – SPU 9 (Zach Johnson 6, team 3), SMU 4 (Zac Lubin).
Corners – SPU 3, SMU 7.
Fouls – SPU 14, SMU 18.
Offsides – SPU 2, SMU 0.
Cautions – SPU 0, SMU 2 (Austin Kelley, Ricco Sanchez).
Ejections – None.
Attendance – 170.

Records –
Seattle Pacific 1-4-2, 1-0-1 GNAC
Saint Martin's 3-4-0, 0-1-0 GNAC

Next game –
Seattle Pacific at Montana State Billings
Thursday, Sept. 30, 3:30 p.m. PDT