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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 --
(#8) Chico State at Seattle Pacific
7:30 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium (900), Seattle, Wash.
LiveStats: www.sidearmstats.com/spu/msoc

A five-game homestand begins in difficult fashion the Seattle Pacific men's soccer team (0-0) that returns all 11 starters from last year. The Falcons host eighth-ranked Chico State (0-0) in the season opener on Thursday, Sept. 1. Kick-off is 7:30 p.m. at Interbay Stadium as the nightcap of a doubleheader with the SPU women who entertain Chico at 4:30 p.m. The Wildcats men are the defending West Region champions and they defeated SPU 1-0 last year in Chico. The Falcons hope the homestand leads to early success after winning their last five Interbay games en route to a 6-1-2 home record in 2010. SPU then hosts Notre Dame de Namur (Sept. 8) and Metro State (Sept. 10) before beginning Great Northwest Athletic Conference play on Sept. 15 against Northwest Nazarene. A GNAC game against Montana State Billings on Sept. 17 completes the five-game home stretch. The Falcons are vying for their 31st NCAA Division II Tournament berth, the first since 2006.

Opening Act
Seattle Pacific begins its 44th year of men's soccer competition. The Falcons lost just once in their last 10 season openers, winning seven and tying twice. They played Humboldt State to a scoreless draw at home in last year's lid-lifter. SPU boasts a 30-7-6 record in all-time openers and is 31-7-5 in its initial home games.

Ticket Talk
Tickets for SPU soccer games can be purchased on game day at Interbay Stadium (3027 17th Ave. W., Seattle 98119). Ticket windows open one hour prior to kickoff. All seats are general admission and 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 reduced ticket rates by calling (206) 281-2085 in advance.



Fantastic Finish
The SPU men hope a tremendous ending in 2010 will carry over to the start of 2011. The Falcons finished with 10 wins in their final 12 games to forge a 10-6-2 record in 2010. Included was a seven-game winning streak that was their longest since 2006. SPU started the season slow with on 0-4-2 record with an 0-4 record on a road trip. The Falcons were outscored 11-4 during their opening six games, but responded to outscore opponents by a 32-12 tally in their final 12 outings.

2011 Preview
The full 11-man starting lineup returns intact from last year's team that posted a 10-6-2 record and placed second in the GNAC with a 7-2-1 mark. Heading the list of returning talent is senior midfielder Tyler Schultz who topped the team with 10 goals last year. A first-team All-GNAC selection, Schultz ranked third among conference scorers with 23 points. Also back is forward Blaine Carver, who was honored as the GNAC Freshman of the Year. He was second on the team with eight goals last fall. Junior goalkeeper Zach Johnson returns after compiling four shutouts and a 1.36 goals against average. The defense features junior Jon Pearman, a second-team All-West Region honoree.

Coach Collings
Fourth-year coach Mark Collings is the third head coach in the 44-year history of Seattle Pacific men's soccer. He has a 27-21-8 record with the Falcons. Collings was named the 2010 GNAC Co-Coach of the Year after directing SPU to a 10-6-2 overall record and a second-place league mark of 7-2-1. The Falcons were 11-5-3 in 2009, finishing third with a 4-3-1 league ledger. In his first season, SPU was 6-10-3 with a second-place GNAC finish (4-4) in 2008. Collings replaced Cliff McCrath, who compiled a 512-190-87 mark in 38 seasons (1970-2007). Arnie Aizstrauts was 1-14-1 from 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.

This Week's Opponent
Chico State (0-0-0) -- The eighth-ranked Wildcats posted a 15-7 record in 2010, but a strong finish netted them the West Region championship. Chico was eliminated in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. Nine starters return for Coach Felipe Restrepo, including All-American Ferid Celosmanovic who scored 13 goals last season. Goalkeeper Sam Evans compiled four shutouts and a 1.13 goals against average. The Wildcats halted a five-game losing skid against SPU with a 1-0 victory on Sept. 6, 2010 in Chico. Celesmanovic notched the game winner in the 61st minute. The Falcons own an 18-16-1 series edge and were victorious in the last Seattle meeting, a 1-0 decision in 2009 secured by a 93rd-minute penalty kick by Alec Nelson.

Terrific Tyler
Sparking Seattle Pacific's 2010 second-half surge was the remarkable play of All-West Region second-teamer Tyler Schultz. The now senior midfielder amassed six goals during the final seven games. He finished with a team-leading 10 goals in 2010, two more than his eight-goal total that topped the Falcons in 2009. The 10 goals by Schultz were the highest total by a Falcon since Brent Egbert netted 13 in 2004.

GNAC Poll
The Falcons don't intend to settle for second, even if that's where the Great Northwest Athletic Conference coaches predict they will finish. For the third straight season, the Seattle Pacific men were listed second in the preseason GNAC soccer poll. “We're certainly not going to settle for second place. It's probably a fair assessment on paper, now it's just a matter of putting everything into action,” said SPU coach Mark Collings. The Falcons lived up to the preseason projection last year, posting a 7-2-1 record as runners-up to Simon Fraser. SPU dealt the Clan its lone league defeat, a 4-0 drubbing in Burnaby, B.C. The conference coaches named the defending champion as this season's front-runner. The Clan return eight starters, including five first-team All-GNAC selections that helped the team to a 19-2 record in 2010. SFU was 9-1 in league play. Simon Fraser received four first-place votes and 33 points in the preseason poll. Seattle Pacific logged two first-place tallies and 30 points. Western Washington was selected third in the coaches poll with 24 points, followed by Montana State Billings (16), Northwest Nazarene (14) and Saint Martin's (7).

2010 GNAC Awards
Seattle Pacific forward Blaine Carver received the 2010 GNAC Freshman of the Year award and Mark Collings was named the Co-Coach of the Year. Three Falcons were first-team selections on the league's all-star team, including two of the three forwards listed. Collings, who directed SPU to a 10-6-2 record that featured wins in 10 of the last 12 games, shared the GNAC honor with Simon Fraser's Alan Koch. Carver is the Falcons second straight Freshman of the Year honoree. Defender Jon Pearman was the 2009 recipient. Carver joined Pearman on last year's second-team all-league squad. He ranked second on the team with eight goals, the highest total by a Falcons freshman since Grant Falco scored 11 times in 1999. On Oct. 16, Carver recorded a hat trick against the University of Mary. SPU's forward duo of Tyler Schulz and Elliot Morton were both repeat first-team All-GNAC selections. Schultz led the team with 10 goals. Morton made his third appearance as a GNAC first-teamer with five goals and five assists. He was selected as a defender his first two years. SPU's third member of the first team was Caleb Nyone. A trio of Falcons received honorable mention accolades; defenders Kodiac Gamble and Brandon Kuenzi along with midfielder Drew Williams.