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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25 --
Western Washington at (#11) Seattle Pacific
7:00 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium (900), Seattle, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27 --
(#3) Simon Fraser at (#11) Seattle Pacific
7:00 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium (900), Seattle, Wash.
 
LiveStats for Both Games:  www.sidearmstats.com/spu/msoc
 

A three-game homestand determines if 11th-ranked Seattle Pacific will be home for the playoffs. The Falcons (10-1-4, 6-1-4 GNAC) play their final three regular-season games at Interbay Stadium, beginning on Thursday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. against Western Washington (6-7-2, 4-5-2). SPU won three straight against the Vikings, including a 1-0 decision on Sept. 29 in Bellingham. On Saturday, Oct. 27 the top-two Great Northwest Athletic Conference teams clash when the second-place Falcons host first-place and third-ranked Simon Fraser (13-1-1, 9-1-1) at 7 p.m. The Clan were 5-1 victors on Sept. 27 in Burnaby, B.C. and won their last three series encounters. SPU closes out the regular season on Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. with a home game against Saint Martin's. The Falcons are vying for their 32nd NCAA Division II Tournament berth. They advanced to the West Regional championship game last fall.
 
Playoff Format
The top-two teams from the West Region earn the right to host the opening rounds of the NCAA Division II Tournament and also get first-round byes. Simon Fraser, Seattle Pacific and Grand Canyon are currently ranked one-two-three in the regional rankings. Under a different format last year, SPU parlayed the homefield advantage into an opening-round 2-1 overtime win against Cal State Dominguez. The Falcons fell 3-2 in the second round versus Cal State L.A.
 
Falcons Fast Facts
SPU posted double-digit victories in four straight seasons for the first time in 10 years ... The Falcons have allowed just one goal in the last 433-minutes, 45-seconds ... Senior goalkeeper Zach Johnson has 22 career shutouts, the fourth-highest total in school history behind the SPU record of 46 established by Sounders' GK Marcus Hahnemann followed by Sergio Soriano with 42 (1978-81) and Jeff Storrs with 32 (1985-88).
 
Recent Recap
SPU went 1-0-1 on its Midwest trip. Richie Evoy's 87th-minute penalty kick clinched a 1-1 tie at U-Mary in Bismarck, N.D. on Oct. 18. Blaine Carver and Kyle Peterman netted second-half goals in a 2-0 victory at Sioux Falls (S.D.) on Oct. 20.
 
Ranking Report
Seattle Pacific dropped two places to No. 11 in this week's national poll. On Sept. 10, SPU received its highest men's soccer ranking in 18 years with a No. 2 listing in the NCAA Division II poll that was released by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). That was the Falcons highest poll position since a No. 1 ranking on Sept. 20, 1994. Current SPU assistant coach Nate Daligcon was a starting midfielder on that top-ranked team. Fifth-year head coach Mark Collings played for the Falcons from 1995-98, but none of the SPU teams he played on climbed as high in the rankings as the current team he is coaching. Simon Fraser is the only other GNAC team in the poll, listed at No. 3 this week.
 
Fastest to Fifty
Mark Collings registered his 50th victory on Oct. 11 in his 88th game as head coach. That is the fastest to the 50-win mark for any Falcons coach. Legendary SPU coach Cliff McCrath (1970-2007) got his 50th win in game No. 94. At 51-26-14, Collings ranks No. 2 in all-time SPU coaching wins. McCrath had a 512-190-87 SPU record.
 
Stellar Start
This year's Falcons equaled the best start in school history with six season-opening wins. The 1985 and 1991 SPU squads each started 6-0 before both lost in their seventh outing. The 1985 team proceeded to win the third of SPU's five NCAA titles.
 
This Week's Opponent
Western Washington (6-7-2, 4-5-2 GNAC) -- The Vikings are coached for the 14th season by Travis Connell, a four-year SPU soccer letterman from 1991-95. WWU won two of its last three games. The trio of Sujinda Dangvan (6), Justin Moore (6) and Andrew Weishaar (5) account for 17 of WWU's 21 goals. Goalkeeper Keegan Rogers registered five shutouts and a 1.21 goals against average. SPU won 1-0 on Sept. 29 in Bellingham on a 61st-minute goal by Blaine Carver for a three-game series winning streak, the longest since a seven-game stretch from 2003-06. The Falcons boast a 42-13-6 lead in the all-time series against Western.
 
Simon Fraser (13-1-1, 9-1-1 GNAC) -- The third-ranked Clan are in their third year as an NCAA Division II competitor and GNAC member. This is their first year of postseason eligibility. First-place SFU tied 0-0 at Montana State Billings in its last outing to halt an eight-game winning streak. The Clan are outscoring opponents 56-11 led by the 11 goals of Carlo Basso. Goalkeepers JD Blakely and Hide Ozawa combined for seven shutouts and a 0.72 goals against average. SFU won the last three encounters against the Falcons, including a 5-1 decision on Sept. 27 in Burnaby, B.C. The teams did not play from 2007-09 after meeting at least once in each of the previous 32 years dating to 1975. The all-time series record is even at 20-20-6.
 
Coach Collings
Fifth-year coach Mark Collings is the third head coach in the 45-year history of Seattle Pacific men's soccer. He has a 51-26-14 record with the Falcons. Collings directed SPU to a 14-4-2 record in 2011, capped by its first playoff appearance in five years. The Falcons earned the top seed in the West and advanced to the regional championship game. Collings was named the 2010 GNAC Co-Coach of the Year after leading 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.
 
Next Week
The Falcons conclude the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 3 with a 7 p.m. game against Saint Martin's at Interbay Stadium. SPU's 10-man senior class will be recognized with a brief ceremony prior to that game.