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THURSDAY, OCTOBER  27 –
Seattle Pacific at Concordia (Ore.)
7:00 p.m. PDT, Tuominen Yard, Portland, Ore.
• Webcast & LiveStats:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29 –
Seattle Pacific at Saint Martin's
3:15 p.m. PDT, SMU Soccer Field, Lacey, Wash.
• Webcast & LiveStats:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5 –
(#3) Simon Fraser at Seattle Pacific
7:00 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
• LiveStats for both games:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/spu/msoc/
 
A disappointing 2016 soccer campaign comes to a close with two road games and a home finalé against third-ranked Simon Fraser. They won the last two Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships, but the injury-depleted Falcons men (4-5-5, 2-3-4 GNAC) won't repeat this year and their streak of NCAA Division II Tournament appearances will stop at five. SPU plays its final two away games this week, beginning with a Thursday, Oct. 27 visit to Concordia (4-7-2, 1-6-1) for a 7 p.m. contest. The Cavaliers lost this year's first meeting 3-2 in Seattle. On Saturday, Oct. 29 the Falcons visit Lacey, Wash. to take on Saint Martin's (2-10-1, 1-6-1) at 3:15 p.m. The Saints fell 4-2 when they played at SPU two weeks ago. The season concludes on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. when undefeated Simon Fraser (11-0-2, 6-0-2) invades Interbay Stadium. The series between the Clan and SPU is tied 24-24-6.
 
Senior Salute
Prior to the Nov. 5 game versus Simon Fraser, a ceremony will be conducted to honor SPU's six seniors. Jeffrey Collings, Keenan dePinna, Davis Karaica, Jordan Kollars, Cody Lang and Stephen MacDonald will make their final regular-season home appearances at Interbay Stadium. That six-player class helped the Falcons compile a 46-12-14 record during their collegiate careers (26-3-9 at Interbay), win back-to-back GNAC championships and earn three NCAA Tournament berths.
 


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) 281-2393 in advance.
 
Throw-Ins
Davis Karaica and Cody Lang are the only two players to start every game for injury-plagued SPU, and only two others played in all 14 ... SPU has tallied 26 goals, a 1.86 goals-per-game clip that is the program's highest since the 2011 squad averaged 2.05.
 
Last Week
A pair of 1-0 road losses dealt a fatal blow to the Falcons postseason hopes. They were scoreless in regulation at Northwest Nazarene (Oct. 20) before the Crusaders got a golden goal on a 108th-minute penalty kick. SPU allowed a goal four minutes into the second half of a loss at Montana State Billings (Oct. 22). Senior goalkeeper Cody Lang amassed 17 saves during the two games, including a season-high 10 at NNU.
 
Century Mark
Ninth-year SPU head coach Mark Collings is two victories away from the 100-win milestone. He enters the week with a 98-40-29 overall record. He was a four-year letterman defender for the Falcons from 1995-98. His son, Jeffrey Collings, is a senior defender on the SPU squad. Jeffrey netted his first career goal on Oct. 1, but Mark still has bragging rights at home as he scored twice for the Falcons.

 

Cody's Clean Sheets
Cody Lang shutout Northwest Nazarene on Oct. 1, increasing his career total to 28. The senior shot-stopper became the GNAC's all-time leader in career shutouts (28) and tied the record for shutouts in conference matches (19). Lang ranks fourth among SPU career leaders. 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.
 
This Week's Opponents
Concordia (4-7-2, 1-6-1 GNAC) --The Cavaliers, from Portland, Oregon, are second-year members of the GNAC and NCAA. They lost their last four games. Matt Paine ranks third among GNAC players with eight goals. Goalkeepers Grant Alcorn and Jason Hines combined for a 2.03 goals against average. SPU leads the series 1-0-2 after beating the Cavaliers 3-2 on Oct. 8 on a game-winning goal by Gabe Kellum.
 
Saint Martin's (2-10-1, 1-6-1 GNAC) -- The Saints are winless in their last seven outings with six losses and a tie. Kyle Witzel accounted for six of SMU's 16 goals. Goalkeeper Griffin Small compiled a 2.91 goals against average while averaging 4.3 saves per game. SPU won this year's first meeting 4-2 on Oct. 13 in Seattle behind a goal and two assists from Jeffrey Collings. That increased the Falcons all-time series advantage to 15-3-1.
 
Simon Fraser (11-0-2, 6-0-2 GNAC) -- The third-ranked Clan are undefeated with only two ties as blemishes on an otherwise perfect record. They are outscoring opponents 32-8 led by the nine goals of Mamadi Camara. Goalkeeper Brandon Watson has six shutouts and a 0.60 goals against average. SFU won four straight GNAC championships (2010-13) and advanced to back-to-back Final Fours in 2012 and 2013. SPU won the last clash in Seattle, defeating the Clan 3-2 behind a 51st-minute penalty kick by Danny Olivas. Simon Fraser won this year's first meeting 3-1 on Sept. 22 in Burnaby, B.C. The all-time series stands even at 24-24-6. 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
Ninth-year coach Mark Collings is the third head coach in the 49-year history of Seattle Pacific men's soccer. He has a 98-40-29 record with the Falcons, including school-record streaks of 13 consecutive victories and 15 games unbeaten established in 2014. Collings collected his third GNAC Coach of the Year award (also 2010 & 2014) after directing SPU to a 14-1-4 record in 2015 and the team's fifth straight NCAA Division II playoff berth. They won the GNAC championship with a 10-1-3 record and participated in the West Regional semifinal. SPU's lone setback marked the fewest losses in school history. Collings led the Falcons to a 16-2-2 record in 2014. They compiled a first-place record of 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.
 
2015 Review
Last year, the SPU men compiled a 14-1-4 record and competed in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight season. They sustained the fewest losses ever for a program that has produced five national championships, falling only once with a 1-0 setback at Simon Fraser. All-Americans Cody Lang (GK), the 2015 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, and Davis Karaica (D) helped lead the nation's best defense that yielded just 0.45 goals per game. The season ended in the second round of the 2015 playoffs with a 1-1 draw against Cal State Dominguez Hills, which advanced by virtue of a 3-2 decision in the penalty kick tiebreaker.