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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1 –
(#7) Seattle Pacific at Western Washington
7:00 p.m. PDT, Harrington Field, Bellingham, Wash.
•Webcast & LiveStats:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3 –
(#3) Seattle Pacific at Simon Fraser
7:00 p.m. PDT, Terry Fox Field, Burnaby, B.C.
•Webcast:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh8tvOMktv8
•LiveStats:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
 
Seattle Pacific puts its unbeaten record and No. 7 national ranking on the line when it embarks on the season's longest men's soccer road stretch. The Falcons (5-0-2, 1-0-2 GNAC) open a four-game Great Northwest Athletic Conference trip on Thursday, Oct. 1 at Western Washington (3-2-2, 1-1-1). Kick-off is 7 p.m. at Harrington Field in Bellingham. The Vikings lost their last three encounters versus SPU. On Saturday, Oct. 3, the Falcons make their annual visit to Burnaby, B.C. to clash with Simon Fraser (1-2-3, 0-1-2). In 2014, SPU swept the two-game season series from the Clan for the first time since the 2000 campaign.
 
Spectacular Start
Seattle Pacific (5-0-2) is one of only 16 undefeated teams remaining among NCAA Division II men's soccer programs. The Falcons are off to one of the best starts in the 48-year history of the program that includes five national championship teams. They are deeper into the season without a loss than all but four previous SPU squads. They matched the seven-game unbeaten start of the 2012 team (6-0-1), the 1987 unit went 8-0-1 before losing its 10th game and the 1975 Falcons (6-0-4) didn't lose until their 11th outing. The school record is 15 games without a loss to start the season, set last year (14-0-1).
 
Ranking Report
SPU dropped four spots, to No. 7, in this week's national rankings. The Falcons were listed No. 8 in the preseason poll and No. 3 last week. The SPU men rose as high as No. 2 in 2014. Their last No. 1 national ranking came on Sept. 20, 1994.

Shutout Streak Snapped
The Falcons surrendered their first goal of the year on Saturday (Sept. 26) on a 50th-minute free kick by Concordia's Ben Culpan that deflected off their wall. That snapped their season scoreless streak at 612-minutes, 53-seconds. SPU had established a new school record with six clean sheets to start a season.


 
Dynamic Defense
SPU has allowed just one goal in seven games this season.  Junior goalkeeper Cody Lang has played all 673 minutes between the posts this season, compiling six shutouts and a 0.13 goals against average that leads the nation. The Falcons defense limited their seven opponents to 65 shots overall and just 20 attempts directly on goal.

 

Cody's Clean Sheets
Cody Lang blanked six of seven opponents this year, increasing his career total to 23 shutouts. That figure ties him for fourth among SPU career leaders with Zach Johnson (2009-12). He needs nine 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.
 
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.
 
Scouting the Opponents
Western Washington (3-2-2, 1-1-1 GNAC) -- The Vikings are coached for the third season by Greg Brisbon, a 12-year assistant with the program. In 2014 they dedicated Harrington Field, a soccer venue is located on the WWU campus. The Vikings defeated U-Mary 3-1 on the road in their last outing. Sophomore midfielder Luke Olney had two assists in that victory. He is the son of former SPU standout Reece Olney (1986-90). Eleazar Galvan and Adam Talley are tied for team-high honors with two goals apiece. Goalkeeper Tyler Visten compiled two shutouts and a 0.92 goals against average. The Falcons boast a 45-14-7 lead in the all-time series against Western, including three straight wins. SPU won the last encounter 2-1 in double overtime on Oct. 18 in Bellingham. Jordan Kollars netted a golden goal in the 101st minute for the game-winner.
 
Simon Fraser (1-2-3, 0-1-2 GNAC) -- The Clan are off to an uncharacteristic slow start after participating in the last three NCAA Division II Tournaments. They won four straight GNAC championships (2010-13) and advanced to back-to-back Final Fours in 2012 and 2013. Adam Jones leads the SFU attack with three goals. Goalkeeper Brandon Watson has one shutout and a 1.28 goals against average. The Falcons swept the 2014 season series, winning 3-1 on Oct. 4 in Seattle and 2-1 on Oct. 16 in Burnaby, B.C. That was their first two-game season sweep of the Clan since 2000. SPU owns a slim 23-22-6 edge in the all-time series. The teams did not play from 2007-09 after meeting at least once in each of the previous 32 years dating to 1975.

 

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 85-34-22 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
SPU visits Montana State Billings on Oct. 8 and U-Mary (N.D.) on Oct. 10.