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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29 –
U-Mary at (#9) Seattle Pacific
4:30 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31 –
Montana State Billings at (#9) Seattle Pacific
4:00 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1 –
Saint Martin's at (#9) Seattle Pacific
7:00 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
 
• LiveStats for all games:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/spu/msoc/
 
Ninth-ranked Seattle Pacific seeks to secure its second straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's soccer championship as the regular season concludes with a trio of home games. The first-place Falcons (11-1-3, 7-1-3 GNAC) control their own destiny and can clinch the crown outright with wins in their final three games. The season-ending Interbay Stadium homestand begins on Thursday, Oct. 29 against U-Mary (3-11-1, 2-9-0). Kick-off is 4:30 p.m. as the opener of a doubleheader with the women, who play at 7 p.m. SPU won the last five meetings with the Marauders. On Saturday, Oct. 31 at 4 p.m., the Falcons entertain third-place Montana State Billings (8-4-3, 6-3-2), having a six-game winning streak versus the Yellowjackets. The regular season comes to a close on Nov. 7 with a visit from Saint Martin's (3-11-1, 2-9-0). SPU won a hard-fought 1-0 decision over the Saints on Sept. 19 in Lacey, Wash. The Falcons are vying for their 35th NCAA Division II Tournament berth. They participated in the playoffs in each of the last four seasons.
 
Get Your Tickets
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.
 
Senior Salute
Prior to the Nov. 7 game versus Saint Martin's, a ceremony will be conducted to honor SPU's seven seniors. Ian Adams, Shamele Battan, Rodney Greiling, Garrett Jones, Matt Merchant, Danny Olivas and Bryson Pavel will make their final regular-season home appearances at Interbay Stadium. That seven-player class helped the Falcons compile a 50-10-13 record during their collegiate careers (25-4-6 at Interbay) and earn NCAA Tournament berths every season.
 


Title Talk
The first-place Falcons have a 7-1-3 league ledger and a 24-point total that provides a three-point cushion over second-place Simon Fraser with three games to play. They can clinch at least a share of the GNAC championship with wins in both games this week. The SPU men won their first outright men's soccer GNAC crown last year with a 12-1-1 mark. They shared the 2006 league championship with Seattle University.
 
Ranking Report
The Falcons stayed at No. 9, in this week's national rankings. They were listed No. 8 in the preseason poll and as high as No. 3, on Sept. 22. The SPU men polled as high as second in 2014. Their last No. 1 ranking came Sept. 20, 1994.
 
Dynamic Defense
SPU has allowed just seven goals in 15 games this season.  Junior goalkeeper Cody Lang compiled eight clean sheets and a 0.46 goals against average that leads the GNAC and ranks No. 4 nationally. The Falcons defense registered nine shutouts, limiting their 15 opponents to 154 shots overall and just 56 attempts directly on goal.

 

Cody's Clean Sheets
Cody Lang blanked eight opponents this year, increasing his career total to 26 shutouts. That figure ranks him for fourth among SPU career leaders. He needs six more shutouts to tie for the No. 3 spot with Jeff Storrs (32 from 1985-88). The school record is a lofty total of 46 compiled by former Premier League keeper Marcus Hahnemann, who minded the Falcons nets from 1990-93.
 
Scouting the Opponents
University of Mary (3-11-1, 2-9-0 GNAC) -- The Marauders hail from Bismarck, N.D. and are fourth-year GNAC members, competing in men's soccer only. U-Mary lost its last five games after beating Saint Martin's 2-0 at home on Oct. 8. James Liddiard leads the Mary attack with four goals while Jonathan Sellas scored three. Christoffer Nogueira is the top playmaker with four assists. The Falcons own an 11-0-1 series lead, including wins in the last five meetings. SPU was a 4-0 victor on Oct. 10 at Mary behind a goal and assist from Mori Tsuchiya and two assists from Gabe Kellum.
 
Montana State Billings (8-4-3, 6-3-2 GNAC) -- The third-place Yellowjackets are hot with four wins in their last five outings. Something's gotta give when the top scoring team in the GNAC (MSUB, 2.13 goals per game) clashes with its stingiest defense (SPU, 0.47 goals allowed per game). Billings has outscored opponents 32-18 led by the league-leading 16 goals of Ricardo Palomino. Goalkeeper Tom Lohmann has four shutouts and a 1.13 goals against average. SPU leads the all-time series 15-3-4 and won the last six encounters, including a 3-1 decision on Oct. 8 in Billings during which Ian Adams and Mori Tsuchiya netted goals 13 seconds apart.
 
Saint Martin's (3-11-1, 2-9-0 GNAC) -- The Saints lost their last three games since defeating Western Washington 2-1 at home on Oct. 15. They play MSU Billings, U-Mary and Trinity Lutheran before closing out the season on Nov. 7 at SPU. Kyle Witzel leads the SMU attack with five of the team's 12 goals. Nick Rosato has a 2.59 goals against average and leads all GNAC goalkeepers with 74 saves. SPU won this season's first meting 1-0 on Sept. 19 in Lacey, Wash. on a sixth-minute penalty kick from Matt Merchant. The Falcons own a 13-3-1 advantage in the all-time series.
 
Last Week
SPU played to a double-overtime scoreless draw versus Concordia on Oct. 22 in Portland despite outshooting the hosts 19-8. The Falcons then defeated Northwest Nazarene 2-1 on Oct.24 in their final road game. The Falcons got an own goal in the 61st minute and Danny Olivas netted the game-winner with a 69th-minute penalty kick. The Crusaders had a 16-7 shot advantage and scored in the 70th minute. NNU had a chance to equalize in the 85th minute, but Julio Castillo's penalty kick caromed off the crossbar.
 
Spectacular Start
SPU started the season 6-0-2, going deeper into the campaign without a loss than all but three previous SPU squads. The school record is 15 games without a loss to start the season, established last year (14-0-1 in 2014).

 

Speedy Scores
The Falcons tied a 26-year-old school record for the shortest time between goals when Ian Adams and Mori Tsuchiya scored 0:13 apart in a 3-1 win at Montana State Billings on Oct. 8. They matched the 13-second feat of former Falcons Doug Morrill and Vasco Rubio, who netted swift successive scores during a win over Jacksonville on Sept. 1, 1989 in Las Vegas. That mark tied for 10th on the list of quickest back-to-back goals among NCAA Division II men's teams.
 
Coach Collings
Eighth-year coach Mark Collings is the third head coach in the 48-year history of Seattle Pacific men's soccer. He has a 91-35-23 record with the Falcons, including school-record streaks of 13 consecutive victories and 15 games unbeaten established in 2014. Collings collected his second GNAC Co-Coach of the Year award (also 2010) after directing SPU to a 16-2-2 record in 2014 and the team's fourth straight NCAA Division II playoff berth. They won the GNAC championship with a 12-1-1 record and advanced to the West Region championship game. The Falcons were 12-4-3 in 2013 with a second-place league mark of 10-1-3. In 2012, Collings coached 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. He led SPU to a 10-6-2 mark in 2010 after 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.
 
SPU Visits Spain
The Seattle Pacific men had the unique opportunity to travel to Spain from August 6-16 and stay in Madrid where they visited the Real Madrid training complex and Bernabéu Stadium. The Falcons played four games, winning two of them. Ian Adams compiled three goals and an assist during the trip, Stephen MacDonald tallied two goals and an assist and Keenan dePinna scored twice. They also visited museums and toured the historic Spanish cities of Segovia and Toledo.
 
2014 Review
The SPU men posted a 16-2-2 overall record in 2014, won the GNAC championship with a 12-1-1 mark and participated in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season. They beat Northwest Nazarene 2-1 in the playoffs before falling 1-0 in overtime against Cal State L.A. in the West Regional final. The Falcons forged a 13-game winning streak and 15-game unbeaten streak, both school records. Two seniors departed, both of them starters: defender Evan Robicheau and forward Sean Russell. SPU outscored foes 37-10 led by Stephen MacDonald's 9-goal, 8-assist performance.
 
2015 Preview
Nine starters return for SPU, featuring first-team All-GNAC goalkeeper Cody Lang. The junior shot-stopper registered 10 shutouts and an impressive 0.47 goals against average in 2014. Returning players accounted for 27 of the team's 37 goals last season, including nine from Stephen MacDonald and three apiece from Danny Olivas and Jordan Kollars. The dynamic defense boasts a pair of All-Americans in junior Davis Karaica (2nd team) and senior Bryson Pavel (3rd). The impressive list of returning regulars is bolstered by five players that started at least once in 2014 and five fine freshmen.
 
Record Runs
The Falcons established two new, school-record stretches last season with a 13-game winning streak (previous record 10) and a 15-game unbeaten streak (13) in 2014.