Box Score

LACEY, Wash. – While Coach Mark Collings is thrilled with his squad's early shutout record, he would gladly trade it for a similar late-season surge.
 
Matt Merchant converted a penalty kick in the sixth minute Saturday for fourth-ranked Seattle Pacific, which began defense of its Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's soccer title with a record-breaking 1-0 win over Saint Martin's at SMU Soccer Field.
 
The undefeated Falcons (5-0-0) won their league opener and have still not surrendered an opposition score in five outings. They broke the school-record for shutouts to start a season, surpassing the four clean sheets produced by the 1993 squad.
 
"As far as setting the record, certainly it's a tremendous accomplishment by our guys," said Collings, a former Falcons defender from 1995-98.
 
"We would love to have five shutouts at the end of the season, because that would mean that we probably had a pretty successful run in the tournament."

 

Junior goalkeeper Cody Lang (Spokane, Wash./Lewis & Clark HS) was busier than he has been all season. He compiled a season-high five saves en route to his fifth shutout.
 
Three of those saves came inside the opening 30 minutes as the Saints (1-3-1) applied early pressure. Over 90 minutes they posted five shots directly on goal, nearly doubling the total of six compiled by SPU's other opponents.
 
Six minutes after halftime, Lang preserved the unblemished ledger with a remarkable deflection of a header by Kyle Witzel that forced him to dive to his right.
 
"Cody Lang made one of the best saves I've ever seen live," Collings described. "Cody was going one way and dove back the other way. It was low, maybe two feet off the ground. Somehow he was able to knock it over the crossbar."
 
SMU had the game's final three shots, all of them during a frenetic final six minutes. Their most dangerous chance was an attempt by Witzel that caromed off the crossbar in the 85th minute.
 
"Sometimes you need a little luck along the way, I mean they hit the crossbar. We were fortunate today, that's for sure, to keep the sheet clean," Collings said. "Full credit to Saint Martin's, they played a terrific game. We had our hands full today."
 
After Garrett Jones was fouled near the SMU left post, Merchant (Portland, Ore.) stepped up to attempt the Falcons first try this season from the 12-yard spot. The senior midfielder drilled the penalty kick into the net at 5:55 for his first goal of the season.
 
"Merch took the ball and buried it with a very confident stroke," said Collings. "Anytime we can get an early goal it definitely helps. We've been fortunate so far this season. In four out of our five games we scored an early goal."
 
SPU made that goal stand with their typical stingy defense as Saint Martin's was blanked for just the second time this season.
 
Lang's career shutout total increased to 22, moving him into a fifth-place tie with Kellen Rosten (2004-07) for the No. 5 spot in that category among all-time SPU keepers.
 
The SPU men have reeled off five consecutive season-opening victories for the first time since the 2012 squad tied the school mark with six straight wins. That standard was established in 1985 and matched in 1991.
 
Nick Rosato collected four saves for the Saints, who were outshot by a 16-11 margin.
 
The Falcons play their first GNAC home game on Thursday, Sept. 24 when Northwest Nazarene invades Interbay Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. clash. That is a rematch of last year's NCAA Division II West Regional semifinal, won 2-1 by SPU.
 
 
NCAA MEN'S SOCCER
Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015
SMU Soccer Field / Lacey, Wash.
 
(#4) Seattle Pacific 1, at Saint Martin's 0
 
Scoring – 1, SPU, Matt Merchant (pk), 5:55.
 
Shots – SPU 16, SMU 11.
Saves – SPU 5 (Cody Lang), SMU 4 (Nick Rosato).
Corner Kicks – SPU 1, SMU 5.
Fouls – SPU 10, SMU 8.
Offsides – SPU 2, SMU 1.
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 5-0-0, 1-0-0 GNAC
Saint Martin's 1-3-1, 0-1-0 GNAC
 
Next SPU Men's Game
Northwest Nazarene at Seattle Pacific
Thursday, Sept. 24, 7:30 p.m.
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.