• Complete Release (pdf)      |      • VIDEO: Evan Robicheau

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6 –
Seattle Pacific at California Baptist
2:30 p.m. PST, Lancer Soccer Complex, Riverside, Calif.
• Webcast:  http://www.cbulancers.com/liveEvents/liveEvents.dbml?SPID=3071&db_oem_id=8100

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9 –
Seattle Pacific at Saint Martin's
1:00 p.m. PST, SMU Soccer Field, Lacey, Wash.
• LiveStats:  http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/spu.portal#
 
The Seattle Pacific men's soccer team has two final opportunities to improve its playoff résumé, playing a pair of road games this week to close out the regular season. The Falcons (11-2-3, 9-1-3 GNAC) visit Riverside, Calif. for non-conference game at California Baptist (8-5-1, 8-3-0 PacWest) on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 2:30 p.m. This is the first ever meeting between the Lancers, tied for second in the PacWest Conference, and SPU, in second in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. On Saturday, Nov. 9 the Falcons finish their schedule against conference rival Saint Martin's (5-10-2, 5-6-2), Kick-off is 1 p.m. at SMU Soccer Field in Lacey, Wash. SPU won the last seven meetings against the fourth-place Saints.
 
Playoff Pursuit
The 35-team championship field will be announced on Monday, Nov. 11 at 4 p.m. Pacific Time via a webcast selection show on NCAA.com. The Falcons are vying for their third consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament berth and their 33rd overall. They advanced to the West Regional championship game in 2011. SPU won five national championships, in 1978, 1983, 1985, 1986 and 1993.
 
NCAA Format
The top-two teams from the West Region will host the opening rounds of the NCAA Division II Tournament and also get first-round byes. Cal State L.A. and Chico State were ranked one-two in last week's regional rankings followed by UC San Diego, Simon Fraser, Seattle Pacific and Cal State Dominguez Hills. Last year, the Falcons tied Cal State L.A. 1-1 in a first-round matchup in Phoenix, Ariz., but lost the penalty kick tiebreaker 5-4 and were eliminated.
 


Streak Stopped
The Falcons school-record unbeaten streak was halted at 14 games by Saturday's 1-0 double-overtime loss at Simon Fraser. That was their first defeat since a 1-0 home setback against Chico State in the Sept. 7 season opener. SPU compiled a stretch of 11 wins and three ties to eclipse the program's previous best streak of 13 games without a loss established by the 1987 squad (10-0-3) and equaled in 1991 (12-0-1).
 
Dynamic Defense
SPU has allowed only 10 goals in 1514 minutes this season, just eight 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 54 saves and a GNAC-high eight shutouts. His 0.59 goals against average leads the league and ranks 11th nationally. The defense limited its 16 opponents to 154 shots and just 64 attempts directly on goal.
 
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 25 goals were scored by underclassmen and eight by juniors and seniors ... Freshman Jordan Kollars is the leading playmaker with five assists.
 
Last Week
The Falcons won 1-0 on Thursday at Western Washington on a brilliant 35-yard blast by Sean Russell. On Saturday in Burnaby, B.C., third-ranked Simon Fraser got a golden goal with 5:48 left in the final overtime for a 1-0 victory over SPU that clinched the Clan's fourth consecutive GNAC championship.
 
This Week's Opponents
California Baptist (8-5-1, 8-3-0 PacWest) -- The Lancers are tied for second place in the Pacific West Conference standings, just three points back of Azusa Pacific. CBU suffered a 1-0 overtime loss to Azusa in its last outing to halt a three-game winning streak. Alex Anderson has eight goals and five assists to lead a Lancers offense that is outscoring opponents 26-16. Goalkeepers Ian Clark and Joey Pacheco combined for five shutouts and a 1.11 goals against average. SPU won the only previous meeting against the Lancers, a 1-0 neutral-site decision on Oct. 6, 2011 in Phoenix, Ariz.
 
Saint Martin's (5-10-2, 5-6-2 GNAC) -- The Saints sit fourth in the GNAC standings after losing their last two games, on the road at Simon Fraser (0-1) and Western Washington (0-3). Dylan Gaydosh leads the SMU attack with five goals. Goalkeepers JJ Olson and Eric Owen combined for three shutouts and a 1.98 goals against average. The Falcons won the last seven meetings, including a 3-0 victory on Oct. 12 in Seattle. SPU owns a 10-3 advantage in the all-time series.
 
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 63-30-18 record with the Falcons. Collings was named the GNAC Coach of the Month for October 2013 after directing the squad to a 6-0-2 in that period, including a 2-1 win over No. 1 Simon Fraser on Oct. 3 in Seattle. 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.
 
Fastest to Fifty
Mark Collings registered his 50th victory on Oct. 11, 2012 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 63-30-17, Collings ranks No. 2 in all-time SPU coaching wins. McCrath was 512-190-87 at SPU.
 
Next Week
The Falcons discover their postseason destiny when the 35-team NCAA Tournament field is announced on Monday, Nov. 11 at 4 p.m. PST online at www.ncaa.com. If invited, SPU's first-round game would be played on Thursday, Nov. 14.