• Boxscore & Play-by-Play
NAMPA, Idaho -- Second-ranked Seattle Pacific had several scoring opportunities, including a shot off the crossbar by senior
Caleb Nyone, but was unable to deposit the ball into the goal Thursday and had to settle for a 0-0 tie against Northwest Nazarene in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's game at NNU Soccer Field.
The Falcons (6-0-1) are still tied for the best start in school history, this time with the 1987 unit that drew a tie in its sixth contest. That team went 8-0-1 before losing its 10th game.
The current squad was the third in SPU history to open a season with six straight wins. The 1985 and 1991 teams that also accomplished the feat both were defeated in their seventh outings.
SPU remains atop the GNAC standings with a 2-0-1 league ledger.
The host Crusaders (2-2-3) saw their conference record move to 1-0-2 after their second straight matchup with a ranked opponent. They defeated then sixth-ranked Simon Fraser 2-1 on Saturday in Burnaby, B.C.
Northwest Nazarene came out in a defensive posture, making scoring openings scarce for the Falcons.
“NNU played really hard. They executed their game plan a little better than we executed ours,” explained SPU coach
Mark Collings.
“We weren't quite patient enough and they were content with a tie. They wanted to sit back and play for the counter. They waited for us to make mistakes.”
SPU senior
Zach Johnson (Snohomish, Wash./Snohomish) stopped three shots en route to his third shutout of the season.
Alfredo Ontiveros also earned a shutout with four saves for NNU, which was outshot 14-12.
The Falcons had a 4-1 shot advantage during the two overtime periods, two of them coming during the final 10-minute session.
The game's closest chance came during the fourth minute of the second half when Nyone (Happy Valley, Ore.) smacked his drive off the crossbar.
“We had several opportunities to put things away and we didn't and left the door open for them,” said Collings. “It's tough to win on the road and make no excuse about it, NNU played well today.”
SPU had its six-game winning streak snapped and was shut out for the first time in 16 games, dating to a scoreless draw at Montana State Billings on Oct. 13, 2011.
Thursday's game started a five-game road trip for the SPU men who visit MSU Billings on Saturday at noon.
“We'll get some rest, take a couple flights and hope that we can find our scoring touch in Billings,” Collings concluded.
NCAA MEN'S SOCCER
Thursday, September 20, 2012
NNU Soccer Field/Nampa, Idaho
#2 Seattle Pacific 0, at Northwest Nazarene 0 (2ot)
Scoring – None.
Shots – SPU 14, NNU 12.
Saves – SPU 3 (
Zach Johnson), NNU 4 (Alfredo Ontiveros).
Corner kicks – SPU 8, NNU 5.
Fouls – SPU 21, NNU 13.
Offsides – SPU 1, NNU 1.
Records
Seattle Pacific 6-0-1, 2-0-1 GNAC
Northwest Nazarene 2-2-3, 1-0-2 GNAC
Next Men's Soccer Game
Seattle Pacific at Montana State Billings
Saturday, Sept. 22, noon PDT, Billings, Mont.
