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        • VIDEO: Luke  Postma
 
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 –
(#11) Seattle Pacific at Sonoma State
2:00 p.m. PDT, Seawolf Soccer Field, Rohnert Park, Calif.
•Webcast:  http://www.sonomaseawolves.com/live
•LiveStats:  www.sidearmstats.com/sonoma/msoc/
 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 –
(#11) Seattle Pacific at Chico State
7:00 p.m., University Soccer Stadium, Chico, Calif.
•Webcast:  https://portal.stretchinternet.com/chico/ (there may not be a webcast)
•LiveStats:  www.sidearmstats.com/csuchico/msoc/
 
In pursuit of their sixth straight playoff berth, the Seattle Pacific men begin the 2016 soccer season with a pair of games in northern California. Coach Mark Collings' 11th-ranked Falcons open in Rohnert Park against Sonoma State on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 2 p.m. The Seawolves and SPU have not met since battling to a scoreless draw during the 2009 season in Seattle. On Saturday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. the Falcons clash with Chico State. That marks the eighth consecutive season SPU has encountered the Wildcats. The first SPU men's soccer home game is slated for Sept. 8 against Colorado Christian. Kick-off is 7 p.m. at Interbay Stadium.
 
Opening Act
Seattle Pacific begins its 49th year of men's soccer competition. The Falcons were 1-0 overtime victors over California Baptist in 2015 for their 10th win in the last 11 season openers. SPU has a 33-8-7 record in all-time season-opening contests.


 
Playoff Pursuit
The SPU men are vying for their 36th NCAA Division II Tournament berth. They participated in the playoffs in each of the last five years, the longest streak since 2000. The Falcons won five national championships, in 1978, 1983, 1985, 1986 and 1993.
 
Ranking Report
SPU starts its second straight campaign ranked in the preseason poll. The Falcons, who opened at No. 8 and ended at No. 7 in 2015, are listed 11th in the national coaches poll. The Falcons climbed to as high as No. 3 last year. The last time they were ranked No. 1 nationally was Sept. 20, 1994.
 
2016 Preview
Six starters return from the SPU team that lost only one game (14-1-4), won its second straight GNAC championship and earned the No. 2 seed in the West Region. Four of SPU's returning starters received all-conference acclaim last year, including All-Americans Cody Lang and Davis Karaica. The 2015 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, Lang posted nine shutouts last year. The senior netminder is fronted by a defensive unit led by Karaica as a central defender and senior holding midfielder Jordan Kollars, an honorable mention All-GNAC pick. SPU was the nation's stingiest defense last season, surrendering an average of only 0.45 goals per game. Junior forwards Gabe Kellum and Mori Tsuchiya are the top returning scorers with four goals apiece in 2015. Falcons senior forward Stephen MacDonald returns after an injury-plagued season limited him to two goals and just eight games. He paced SPU with nine goals and eight assists in 2014. The impressive list of returning regulars is bolstered by six players that started at least twice in 2015 and six incoming freshmen who will challenge for playing time.

 

Cody's Clean Sheets
Cody Lang blanked nine opponents last year, increasing his career total to 27 shutouts. That figure ranks him fourth among SPU career leaders. He needs five 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.
 
Pursuing 3-Peat
The SPU men won the last two Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) soccer championships. In 2014 the Falcons captured their first outright men's soccer conference crown since the GNAC was formed in 2001, posting a 12-1-1 league ledger. They shared the 2006 league championship with Seattle University. SPU registered a 10-1-3 record in 2015 to successfully defend its conference crown. 
 
This Week's Opponents
Sonoma State (10-7-2, 6-5-1 CCAA in 2015) -- The Seawolves were picked fourth in the CCAA preseason poll. They posted 10-7-2 record last year with a 6-5-1 league mark. Armando Coronel returns after totaling five goals and six assists for an offense that scored 30 times (1.58 gpg). The Seawolves are coached for the 26th season by Marcus Zeimer, who has amassed 317 wins. Sonoma trails 13-2-4 in the all-time series despite a scoreless tie in the last meeting on Aug. 31, 2009 in Seattle and a 4-1 home win during the previous meeting in California.
 
Chico State (7-6-4, 5-4-3 CCAA in 2015) -- Six starters return from the Wildcats squad that had a 7-6-4 record in 2015. They were projected seventh in this year's California Collegiate Athletic Association preseason poll. Leading scorer Omar Nuño is back after a 10-goal season.  Felipe Restrepo is in his ninth season as head coach, having directed the Wildcats to five NCAA Division II Tournament berths. The Falcons own a slim 20-18-3 series edge and won the last meeting 1-0 on Sept. 5 last year in Seattle.

 

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 94-35-24 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.