• Complete Release (pdf)     |     • VIDEO: Jeffrey  Collings

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 –
(#4) Seattle Pacific at Saint Martin's
3:00 p.m., SMU Soccer Field, Lacey, Wash.
• LiveStats:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
 
Sporting an unblemished record and No. 4 national ranking, Seattle Pacific begins defense of its Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's soccer crown this week. The Falcons (4-0-0) take the quick, 58-mile drive down Interstate 5 to Lacey, Wash. for a Saturday, Sept. 19 game at Saint Martin's (1-2-1). Kick-off is 3 p.m. at SMU Soccer Field. The Saints forced a 0-0 draw in the last meeting to halt a nine-game SPU winning streak in the series.
 
Defending Champs
Last season, the SPU men captured their first outright men's soccer conference championships since the GNAC was formed in 2001. They shared the 2006 league title with Seattle University.
 
Shutout Streak
The Falcons have not surrendered a goal this year. They are tied for the school record for shutouts to start a season, matching the four clean sheets produced by the 1993 squad. A blanking of Saint Martin's on Saturday would give them sole possession of that record. "Anytime you are tying a record that's been set at SPU, it's something special because of the history and the success of this program. Obviously, if we're tying that record it puts us in some pretty good company," said Coach Mark Collings, a Falcons defender from 1995-98. The current four-game streak is the program's longest overall scoreless stretch since the 2011 squad reeled off six straight shutouts.
 
Cody's Clean Sheets
Junior goalkeeper Cody Lang blanked all four opponents in 363 minutes this season, increasing his career total to 21 shutouts. That figure places him sixth among SPU career leaders. He needs one more shutout to tie for the No. 5 spot with Kellen Rosten (22 from 2004-07) and two to tie for fourth with Zach Johnson (2009-12). The school record is a lofty total of 46 compiled by former Premier League keeper Marcus Hahnemann, who minded the nets for the Falcons from 1990-93.


 
Ranking Report
SPU climbed one spot, to No. 4, is this week's national coaches rankings. The Falcons were listed No. 8 in the preseason poll and No. 5 last week. The SPU men rose as high as No. 2 in 2014. Their last No. 1 national ranking came on Sept. 20, 1994.
 
Last Week
SPU posted back-to-back home shutouts to complete the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 4-0-0 record. Ian Adams assisted on both game-winning goals. He set up Stephen MacDonald in the 13th minute of a 1-0 win at Notre Dame de Namur (Sept. 10). His headed pass led to an eighth-minute goal by Danny Olivas in a 3-0 victory at Cal State East Bay (Sept. 12). Keenan dePinna and Gabe Kellum also scored for SPU.
 
Playoff Pursuit
The SPU men are vying for their 35th NCAA Division II Tournament berth. They participated in the playoffs in each of the last four years, the longest streak since 2000. The Falcons won five national championships, in 1978, 1983, 1985, 1986 and 1993.
 
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.
 
This Week's Opponent
Saint Martin's (1-2-1) -- The Saints played a difficult non-conference schedule and came away with a 1-1 draw versus UC San Diego and 3-2 win over Chico State. Kyle Witzel leads the SMU attack with two goals. Nick Rosato has a 1.96 goals against average and leads all GNAC goalkeepers with 21 saves. The Saints and SPU played to a scoreless tie in their last meeting, on Nov. 8, 2014 in Seattle. Prior to that, the Falcons had won the previous nine meetings, including a 2-0 win in Lacey on Sept. 20, 2014. SPU owns a 12-3-1 advantage in the all-time series.
 
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 an 84-34-20 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 registered 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 consecutive season. They defeated 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.
 
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.
 
Next Week
Seattle Pacific plays its first GNAC home games, hosting Northwest Nazarene on Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. and newest league member, Concordia, on Sept. 26 at 7 p.m.