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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 –
(#4) Seattle Pacific at Simon Fraser
7:30 p.m. PDT, Terry Fox Field, Burnaby, B.C.
•Webcast & LiveStats:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/sfu/
 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18 –
(#4) Seattle Pacific at Western Washington
7:00 p.m. PDT, Harrington Field, Bellingham, Wash.
•Webcast & LiveStats:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/wwu/
 
Fourth-ranked Seattle Pacific puts a nine-game winning streak and the best start in school history on the line this week during a difficult road trip. The first-place Falcons (10-0-1, 7-0-0 GNAC) start the second half of their Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule on Thursday, Oct. 16 against Simon Fraser (5-3-2, 3-2-2) with a 7:30 p.m. game at Terry Fox Field in Burnaby, B.C. SPU defeated the four-time defending GNAC champion Clan 3-1 in this year's first meeting on Oct. 4 in Seattle. The Falcons play their first game at Harrington Field in Bellingham, Western Washington's new on-campus soccer venue, on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. The Vikings (5-5-1, 3-3-1) lost 3-1 versus the Falcons on Oct. 2 in Seattle. The SPU men are vying for their 34th NCAA Division II Tournament berth. They participated in the playoffs in each of the last three seasons.
 
Record Run
The Falcons won their last nine games, their longest winning streak since a similar nine-game stretch of success in 2000. They are within one victory of matching the school record of 10 consecutive wins established by the 1991 SPU squad.
 
Spectacular Start
Seattle Pacific (10-0-1) is one of only seven undefeated teams remaining among NCAA Division II men's soccer programs. The Falcons are off to the best start in the 47-year history of the program that includes five national championship teams. The record for sustained unbeaten streak to start a season was previously held by the 1975 SPU team that opened with a 6-0-4 record before losing in its 11th outing.


 
Dynamic Defense
SPU has allowed just five goals in 11 games this season, and never more than one in any outing.  Sophomore goalkeeper Cody Lang has played all 1,029 minutes between the posts this season, compiling six shutouts and a 0.44 goals against average that leads the GNAC and ranks No. 5 nationally. The Falcons defense limited their 11 opponents to 107 shots overall and just 28 attempts directly on goal.

 

Player of the Week
SPU sophomore Jordan Kollars, who helped limit opponents to one goal and distributed an assist in both victories, received the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week award on Monday. The holding midfielder set up the game-winning score in the 82nd minute of Saturday's showdown that sixth-ranked SPU won 1-0, dealing No. 22 Northwest Nazarene its first conference defeat. Kollars fronted the defense that surrendered only one goal and seven shots in Thursday's 2-1 win over Montana State Billings. He assisted Jordan Thompson for SPU's first goal, in the 58th minute, leveling the score at 1-1. Kollars has pushed forward to compile four assists this season.
 
2014 Preview
Eight starters are back for SPU, including first-team All-GNAC goalkeeper Cody Lang. The sophomore shot-stopper registered eight shutouts and an impressive 0.76 goals against average in 2013. Returning players accounted for 22 of the team's 29 goals last season, including four apiece from the trio of Stephen MacDonald, Bryson Pavel and Sean Russell. Sophomore Jordan Kollars was SPU's best playmaker with five assists while junior Danny Olivas was tops in total points with 10 on three goals and four assists. Pavel was a first-team All-GNAC defender as was sophomore Davis Karaica. Russell and Olivas were honorable mention all-league selections. The impressive list of returning starters is bolstered by six standout freshmen, sophomore midfielder Keenan dePinna who transferred from Oregon State, and red-shirt freshman Gabe Kellum from France.
 
This Week's Opponents
Simon Fraser (5-3-2, 3-2-2 GNAC) -- The Clan are in their fifth year as an NCAA Division II competitor and GNAC member. Simon Fraser advanced to the Final Four in each of the last two years. The four-time defending league champions won their last two games to move into fourth place in the GNAC standings. Jovan Blagojevic leads all GNAC scorers with 12 goals. The Falcons dealt then No. 1 Simon Fraser its first loss last season, a 2-1 decision on Oct. 3, 2013 in Seattle. The Clan, which had won the previous four encounters, were 1-0 victors on Nov. 2, 2013 in the last Burnaby, B.C. encounter. The Falcons won this season's first meeting 3-1 on Oct. 4 in Seattle to even the all-time series at 22-22-6. The teams did not play from 2007-09 after meeting at least once in each of the previous 32 years dating to 1975.
 
Western Washington (5-5-1, 3-3-1 GNAC) -- The Vikings are coached for the second season by Greg Brisbon, a 12-year assistant with the program. They dedicated and played their first game at Harrington Field on Sept. 27. The new soccer venue is located on the WWU campus. The Vikings bring a three-game winning streak into the week. WWU's Luke Olney, who has two goals and three assists, is the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week. He is the son of former SPU standout Reece Olney (1986-90). The Falcons boast a 44-14-7 lead in the all-time series against Western, including a 3-1 win on Oct. 2 in Seattle.

 

Coach Collings
Seventh-year coach Mark Collings is the third head coach in the 47-year history of Seattle Pacific men's soccer. He has a 74-32-19 record with the Falcons. Collings led SPU to a 12-4-3 record in 2013 and the team's third straight playoff berth. The Falcons put together a 14-game unbeaten streak, the longest such single-season stretch in school history. A 10-1-3 GNAC record put SPU in second place. They lost 1-0 to Chico State in the first round of the playoffs. In 2012, Collings directed SPU to a 11-3-5 record and in 2011 a 14-4-2 record was capped by the first playoff appearance in five years. Collings was named the 2010 GNAC Co-Coach of the Year after leading SPU to a 10-6-2 record following records of 11-5-3 in 2009 and 6-10-3 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.
 
2013 Review
The SPU men registered a 12-4-3 overall record in 2013, placed second in the GNAC standings with a 10-1-3 mark and participated in the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season. They lost 1-0 against Chico State in the opening round of the playoffs in La Jolla, Calif. The Falcons forged a 14-game unbeaten streak, the longest in school history during a single season. Highlighting the season was a 2-1 upset of top-ranked Simon Fraser on Oct 3 in Seattle. Danny Olivas netted a 79th-minute free kick to secure the victory. Three seniors departed, all of them starters: defender Kodiac Gamble, midfielder Anthony Mohammed and forward Blaine Carver. SPU outscored foes 29-15 led by a trio of four-goal scorers in Stephen MacDonald, Sean Russell and Bryson Pavel. First-team All-GNAC goalkeeper Cody Lang played every minute, posting eight shutouts and a 0.76 goals against average.