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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 –
Northwest Nazarene at Seattle Pacific
4:30 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium (900), Seattle, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 –
Montana State Billings at Seattle Pacific
7:30 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium (900), Seattle, Wash.
 
• LiveStats for Both Games:  www.sidearmstats.com/spu/msoc
 
In the midst of a four-game winning streak, the Seattle Pacific men's soccer team starts a five-game homestand this week at Interbay Stadium. The Falcons (4-1, 2-0 GNAC) host Northwest Nazarene (0-3-2, 0-2-0 GNAC) on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in the opener of a doubleheader with the SPU women who play at 7 p.m. The teams played to scoreless ties in both meetings last season after the Falcons men had won the previous 11 encounters with NNU. On Saturday at 7:30 p.m. SPU entertains Montana State Billings (0-4-2, 0-1-1 GNAC). The Falcons are undefeated in their last seven matchups with Billings, including two ties. SPU's next road game is Oct. 17 at NNU. The Falcons, vying for their 33rd NCAA Division II Tournament berth,participated in the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.
 
Dynamic Defense
SPU has allowed just one goal in the last 417 minutes. Red-shirt freshman goalkeeper Cody Lang played all 540 minutes between the posts, compiling 14 saves, three shutouts and a 0.40 goals against average. The Falcons defense limited their five opponents to two goals and just 16 shots directly on goal.
 


Player of the Week
Stephen MacDonald, who scored the game-winning goal in both outings last week for SPU, received the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week award for men's soccer on Monday. The freshman forward helped the Falcons begin league play with two road wins. MacDonald notched his first collegiate goal in the 69th minute of the Falcons 2-1 victory at South Dakota Mines (Sept. 19). He then recorded the lone tally, on a stellar 54th-minute strike from 20 yards out, in a 1-0 decision at U-Mary (Sept. 21). A graduate of O'Connor High School in Phoenix, Ariz., MacDonald is the only player with more than one goal for SPU.
 
Throw-Ins
Six of SPU's seven goals came after halftime ... Opponents netted just two goals this season against the Falcons ... SPU's 0.44 goals against average leads the GNAC and ranks No. 10 nationally.

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.
 
Last Week
The Falcons opened league play with a pair of road victories in the Midwest. Taylor Backous scored 17 seconds before halftime and Stephen MacDonald got a 69th-minute goal in the Falcons 2-1 victory at South Dakota Mines (Sept. 19). MacDonald netted the lone goal in the 54th minute of SPU's 1-0 win at U-Mary (Sept. 21).
 
2013 Preview
Youth will be served this season as 18 underclassmen fill the 25-man roster. Nine freshmen and nine sophomores seek to grow up quickly under the leadership of three seniors and four juniors. The goal is a third consecutive playoff berth. Four starters return from last year's team, including leading scorer Blaine Carver. The All-GNAC forward netted eight goals with a league-leading five game-winning strikes. Carver, Kodiac Gamble and honorable mention All-GNAC pick Anthony Mohammed are the lone seniors. Sophomore forward Ian Adams was an honorable mention all-league performer in 2012.
 
2012 Review
The Falcons compiled an 11-3-5 record in 2012 and competed in the NCAA Division II Tournament for the second straight season. Despite a 1-1 tie against Cal State L.A. in a first-round playoff game, SPU's season was ended by a 5-4 setback in the penalty kick tiebreaker. The Falcons won their first six games in 2012, equaling the best start in school history. SPU posted a 7-3-4 league ledger to place third in the GNAC.
 
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 56-29-15, Collings ranks No. 2 in all-time SPU coaching wins. McCrath was 512-190-87 at SPU.
 
This Week's Opponents
Northwest Nazarene (0-3-2, 0-2-0 GNAC) -- The Crusaders are winless despite not allowing more than two goals in any game. Junior forward Fredy Razo leads the league with four goals in four games, accounting for all but one of his team's scores. Goalkeeper Ryan Foo has a 1.65 goals against average with nearly five saves per game. SPU won the first 11 meetings in the series before the teams played a pair of scoreless ties last season. They drew in Nampa, Idaho on Sept. 20, 2012 and in Seattle on Oct. 13.
 
Montana State Billings (0-4-2, 0-1-1 GNAC) -- The fifth-place Yellowjackets played Western Washington to a scoreless tie in their last outing. Horst Landon leads the MSUB attack with two assists while four different players scored single goals. Goalkeeper Eoin Hurley has one shutout and a 1.34 goals against average. SPU and the Yellowjackets tied last year's first meeting 1-1 in Billings before the Falcons were 2-0 victors on Oct. 11, 2012 in Seattle. SPU owns a 10-3-4 series lead.
 
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 56-29-15 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.
 
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."
 
Next Week
SPU remains in Seattle for two big GNAC contests. They host defending league champion Simon Fraser on Oct. 3 and Western Washington on Oct. 5, both at 7 p.m.