Jordan Thompson vs South Dakota Mines, Oct. 26, 2013
Andrew Towell
Jordan Thompson and his freshmen classmates have one third of SPU's goals

Tough Two-Game Trip on Tap for SPU Men

Falcons hit the road, play Thursday at WWU & Saturday at No. 3 Simon Fraser

10/30/2013 4:16:00 PM

       • Complete Release (pdf)      |      • VIDEO: Taylor Backous

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31 –
Seattle Pacific at Western Washington
7:30 p.m. PDT, Orca Field, Bellingham, Wash.
• LiveStats:  http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/spu.portal#
 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2 –
Seattle Pacific at (#3) Simon Fraser
7:30 p.m. PDT, Terry Fox Field, Burnaby, B.C.
• Webcast & LiveStats:  http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/spu.portal#
 
Two top-of-the-table clashes are on tap for the Seattle Pacific men's soccer team, which is in the midst of a school-record 13-game unbeaten streak. The second-place Falcons (10-1-3, 8-0-3 GNAC) play their final four regular-season games on the road, beginning on Thursday, Oct. 31 at third-place Western Washington (9-3-3, 7-1-3). Kick-off is 7:30 p.m. at Orca Field in Bellingham. The Northwest rivals played to a 1-1 draw in this year's first meeting, on Oct. 5 in Seattle. On Saturday, Nov. 2, SPU visits Terry Fox Field in Burnaby, B.C. for a 7:30 clash at third-ranked and league-leading Simon Fraser (13-1-1, 9-1-1). The Clan's lone defeat was a 2-1 loss at SPU on Oct. 3. This week's games will clarify the contenders for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship. SPU's last GNAC men's soccer title came in 2006. The Falcons are vying for their 33rd NCAA Division II Tournament berth. They participated in the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.
 
Streaking SPU
The Falcons are undefeated in their last 13 games, tying the school record. They have not lost since a 1-0 home setback against Chico State in the Sept. 7 season opener. SPU compiled 10 wins and three ties since then, forging the program's longest unbeaten streak to match the mark of 13 games without a loss established by the 1987 squad (10-0-3) and equaled in 1991 (12-0-1). At 8-0-3, the Falcons are the only team undefeated in GNAC play.
 


Player of the Week
Goalkeeper Cody Lang, who blanked both opponents in SPU victories last weekend, received the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week award on Monday. The red-shirt freshman notched his league-leading sixth and seventh shutouts, helping the Falcons tie the school-record unbeaten streak of 13 games. Lang blanked U-Mary on Thursday, making two saves in a 2-0 victory. In Saturday's 1-0 decision over South Dakota Mines, he denied four shots and gave SPU the chance for the game winner in the 85th minute. Lang's final stop, with 57 seconds left to play, preserved the win. A product of Lewis & Clark High School in Spokane, Wash., Lang has not allowed a goal in the last 290 minutes.
 
Throw-Ins
Twelve different Falcons have recorded a goal, led by the four scores of freshman Stephen MacDonald ... Three of MacDonald's team-leading four goals were game-winners ... Seventeen of SPU's 24 goals were scored by underclassmen and just seven by juniors and seniors ... Freshman Jordan Kollars is the leading playmaker with five assists.
 
Dynamic Defense
SPU has allowed only nine goals in 1320 minutes this season, just seven of them from the run of play as two were penalty kicks. Red-shirt freshman goalkeeper Cody Lang has played every minute between the posts this season, compiling 45 saves and seven shutouts. His 0.61 goals against average leads the GNAC and ranks 14th nationally. The defense limited its 14 opponents to 131 shots and just 54 attempts directly on goal.
 
Last Week
The Falcons pitched a pair of home shutouts with wins over the newest GNAC members. Blaine Carver scored in the 20th minute and Sean Russell added an 87th-minute insurance tally in a 2-0 victory over U-Mary on Oct. 24. Danny Olivas converted a penalty kick with 5:27 remaining on Oct. 26, giving the Falcons a 1-0 win over South Dakota School of Mines. SPU outshot the Hardrockers 29-6.
 
This Week's Opponents
Western Washington (9-3-3, 7-1-3 GNAC) -- The third-place Vikings are coached for the first season by Greg Brisbon, a 12-year assistant with the program. They bring a four-game winning streak into Thursday's matchup, allowing just one goal in that span. WWU is led by the nine goals of Andrew Weishaar. Goalkeeper Keegan Rogers has five shutouts and a 0.74 goals against average. The Northwest rivals tied 1-1 on Oct. 5 in Seattle. The Falcons boast a 42-14-7 lead in the all-time series against Western.
 
Simon Fraser (13-1-1, 9-1-1 GNAC) -- The No. 3-ranked Clan are in their fourth year as an NCAA Division II competitor and GNAC member. Last season was their first year of postseason eligibility and they advanced to the Final Four. SFU won the last three GNAC titles. First-place Simon Fraser is outscoring opponents 60-12, led by the eight goals of Colin Jacques. The Clan have seven shutouts and a 0.79 goals against average. The Falcons dealt then No. 1 SFU its only loss, a 2-1 decision on Oct. 3 in Seattle. Danny Olivas netted a 79th-minute free kick for the game-winner. The Clan had won the previous four encounters. The all-time series is tied 21-21-6. The teams did not play from 2007-09 after meeting at least once in each of the previous 32 years dating to 1975.
 
GNAC Poll
For the fifth straight season, the Seattle Pacific men were projected second in the preseason Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's soccer poll. The conference coaches named three-time defending champion Simon Fraser as this season's frontrunner. The Clan claimed the conference title in 2012 with a 12-1-1 record en route to the national semifinals. They received seven of eight first-place votes and 61 points in the preseason poll. SPU compiled 51 points to edge Northwest Nazarene for second. The Crusaders logged one first-place tally and 50 overall points. "I'm surprised we were picked second. That's setting a lofty goal for our group," Collings said. "We're very young. We lost quite a bit from last year with 10 seniors being gone."
 
Coach Collings
Fifth-year coach Mark Collings is the third head coach in the 46-year history of Seattle Pacific men's soccer. He has a 62-29-18 record with the Falcons. Collings led SPU to an 11-3-5 record in 2012 and the team's second straight playoff berth. The Falcons matched the best start in school history with six season-opening wins. A 7-3-4 GNAC record put SPU in third place. They tied Cal State L.A. 1-1 in the first round of the playoffs, but lost the penalty-kick tiebreaker 5-4. In 2011, Collings directed SPU to a 14-4-2 record 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
SPU closes out the regular season on the road, beginning on Nov. 6 with a 3 p.m. non-conference game at Cal Baptist. The Falcons GNAC finale is set for Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. at Saint Martin's.
 
 
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