• Complete Release (pdf)    |    • VIDEO: Gabe  Kellum

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 –
Colorado Christian at Seattle Pacific
7:00 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 –
Metro State at Seattle Pacific
4:30 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 –
(#20) Fort Hays State at Seattle Pacific
7:00 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
 
• LiveStats for all three games:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/spu/msoc/
 
The Seattle Pacific men host their first soccer homestand of 2016 at Interbay Stadium, playing three games during a 10-day span to conclude the non-conference schedule. The Falcons (0-1-1) are still seeking their first win as they open the home slate on Thursday, Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. against Colorado Christian (0-2). SPU won all three previous meeting with the Cougars. On Saturday, Sept. 10 Metro State (1-1) visits for a 4:30 p.m. clash that is the opener of a doubleheader with the women. These teams last meet in 2011 with the Falcons winning 2-1 in Seattle. Saturday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. marks the first ever encounter between 20th-ranked Fort Hays State (0-1-1) and SPU. The two-time defending champion Falcons start Great Northwest Athletic Conference play on Sept. 22 at Simon Fraser.
 
Ticket Talk
Tickets for SPU soccer games can be purchased at Interbay Stadium (3027 17th Ave. W., Seattle 98119) on game day. Ticket windows open one hour prior to kickoff. All seats are general admission, priced at $6 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. SPU students and staff are admitted free with i.d. Discounted group rates can be arranged by contacting the SPU Athletics Ticket Office in advance at:  206-281-2085.
 


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.
 
Throw-Ins
The Falcons are winless after their opening two games for the first time since 2011 when they also started with a tie and loss. They recovered that season to make the playoffs, initiating the current streak of five consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament appearances ... Before Chico State's Omar Nuno had a hat trick on Saturday, an opposing player had not produced three goals against the Falcons since Jarred Weisen did the trick for Montana State Billings on Nov. 6, 2008 ... The Falcons gave up three goals for the first time in 63 games, dating to a 3-1 loss to Western Washington on Oct. 25, 2012.
 
Ranking Report
SPU was ranked No. 11 in the preseason coaches poll, but dropped out of the top-25 after the winless opening weekend. They ended the 2015 season at No. 7.
 
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.

 

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
Colorado Christian (0-2-0) -- The Cougars suffered a pair of home setbacks to start the season, losing 2-0 to Mary and 2-1 to Texas A&M International. Genaro Arellano tallied the team's lone goal. Thursday marks the third all-time meeting and SPU was victorious each time. The Falcons won 4-1 at home in 1997, 3-2 at Lakewood in 1998 and 4-1 at home on Oct. 22, 1999 in the most recent encounter.
 
Metro State (1-1-0) -- The Roadrunners opened with two home games, losing 2-0 to 7th-ranked St. Edward's before beating Dixie State 2-1. Kevin Beck accounted for both Metro goals.  SPU has a 4-2 edge in the all-time series, including a 2-1 win on Sept. 10, 2011 in Seattle in the last meeting. MSU won the previous clash 3-0 at home in 2010.
 
Fort Hays State (0-1-1) -- The 20th-ranked Tigers tied Alderson Broaddus 1-1 before losing 2-1 to third-ranked Rockhurst. They play three games before visiting SPU, including a Sept. 15 visit to Western Washington. Maurizio Costa leads Fort Hays with a goal and an assist. The Tigers advanced to the national quarterfinals last season. SPU and Fort Hays have never met in men's soccer.
 
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 94-36-25 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.