• VIDEO: JESS  CAYETANO   |  FINAL STATS
• VIDEO: SENIOR NIGHT CEREMONY

SEATTLE – Two Seattle Pacific seniors putting the finishing touches on their impressive statistical ledgers helped a pair of freshmen open their scoring accounts Saturday.
 
Jess Cayetano and Gabe Kellum each distributed two assists in their final men's soccer home game at Interbay Stadium, sparking a 3-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory over Saint Martin's.
 
"They were both tremendous tonight, especially early on. It was great to have them set the tone," said SPU coach Mark Collings. "We had an excellent first half. We really put it on them and played really well. We played inspired and it made it tough for them to play with our defensive pressure and we were able to finish a few really good goals."
 
Sophomore Gabriel Weber scored for the sixth time this season for SPU while freshmen Jose Benavides and Travis Swallow followed in the first half with their first collegiate goals.
 
The latter two became the 14th and 15th players to tally a goal this season for the balanced SPU attack.
 
"It's nice to have a lot of guys who can put the ball in the back of the net. That's going to be a byproduct of the way we play where it's not really built around one or two guys," Collings described. "It's more about being in the right spots and finishing opportunities than it is necessarily playing through one or two guys.
 
"That's what makes us effective is we're not one dimensional or two dimensional or three. Sure Gabe's our leading goal scorer, but we have multiple guys that can put the ball away."
 


Kellum pushed his point total to 22, topping the team in both goals (7) and assists (8). His career totals include 18 goals and 18 assists. Cayetano ranks second on the team with six assists. He has a four-year total of seven goals and 10 assists.
 
That senior duo seeks to continue inflating those numbers and they have one regular-season game remaining to do so. Success in that contest would add additional opportunities in the playoffs.
 
The Falcons (11-4-1) improved to 7-3-1 in league play for a first-place total of 22 points. They have a two-point edge over second-place Simon Fraser (6-2-2) and five over fourth-place Western Washington (5-3-2). Both of them have a game in hand as they meet on Thursday in Burnaby, B.C. while SPU has a bye.
 
Seattle Pacific controls its own destiny and can claim the GNAC championship with a win next Saturday at Simon Fraser. That clash of Northwest powers is slated for 7 p.m. at Terry Fox Field.
 
"That's all you can ask for. When you start the beginning of the year you want every game to mean something," Collings said. "So to go to the last game of the year with a chance to win a GNAC title is awesome.
 
"It's certainly a big task next Saturday night up at Simon Fraser. They're a really, really good soccer team. But we're going to enjoy this and get healthy and rested and hopefully we can put on a good performance next Saturday night."
 
SPU and Simon Fraser battled to a 1-1 draw on Sept 21 in Seattle during the conference opener for both teams.
 
The league's regular-season winner receives an automatic berth into the NCAA Division II Tournament.

 

Weber provided an early lead for the Falcons, scoring 8:53 after the opening kick-off. Cayetano initiated the action with a pass to the right flank for Kellum, who dribbled toward the end line before sending a cross to the far post. Weber was near the left post and nudged the ball in from inside the 6-yard box.
 
Another Kellum service led to a second SPU score, at 15:34. He delivered a cross near the left corner that found Benavides at the right post for a successful header back across the goalmouth.
 
The hosts got a third first-half score, at 38:23. Sam Rucklos drove the ball into the box on a line, Cayetano flicked it with a back-heel pass to Swallow, who quickly blasted a 12-yard shot into the right side of the SMU goal.
 
The Saints trimmed that 3-0 deficit just 59 seconds into the second half when Sebastian Navarro booted a free kick toward the near post from just outside the left side of the box. Jose Marquez ran on to the ball and headed it high into the goal from close range.
 
Goalkeeper Kary Whitney stopped three shots for SPU in the winning effort. His Saints' counterpart, Griffin Small, made five saves.
 
SPU registered a 19-8 advantage in the shot count.
 
Saint Martin's (1-13-1) fell to 1-8-1 in GNAC games and was swept in the season series by the Falcons. SPU rallied from a two-goal deficit on Oct. 12 in Lacey, Wash., to win 5-3. Five different Falcons scored in that game, including Kellum and Cayetano.
 
SMU had some dangerous attempts during the second half, but was unable to get another goal.
 
In the 67th minute Steven Chu first-timed a volley that forced a full-extension dive from Whitney to knock the ball past the left post. Brandon Madsen broke free into the box in the 81st minute, but he rushed a shot that went well wide to the right side.
 
The Falcons paid tribute to seven seniors on Saturday with a ceremony before their final home game. Joining Cayetano and Kellum in that senior class are Ryan Higgins, Chaz Jenkins, Grayson Raffensperger, Mori Tsuchiya and Julian White.
 
That group produced a remarkable 47-13-12 record during the last four seasons, including a 25-6-8 mark at Interbay Stadium.
 
"They've meant a ton to this program" Collings exclaimed. "As much as anything you look at the academic profile of these guys and what they do in the classroom, who they are as leaders on our campus through different organizations.
 
"They've left an impact. That's always the challenge we pose to guys when they come is to leave an imprint on, not only our soccer program, but SPU and our community. These guys have definitely done that."
 

 
NCAA MEN'S SOCCER
Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash
 
at Seattle Pacific 3, Saint Martin's 1
 
Scoring – 1, SPU, Gabriel Weber (Gabe Kellum, Jess Cayetano), 8:53; 2, SPU, Jose Benavides (Kellum), 15:34; 3, SPU, Travis Swallow (Cayetano, Sam Rucklos), 38:23; 4, SPU, Jose Marquez (Sebastian Navarro), 45.59.
 
                      1   2  --  TOTAL
Saint Martin's        0   1  --    1
Seattle Pacific       3   0  --    3
 
Shots – SMU 8, SPU 19.
Shots on goal – SMU 4, SPU 8.
Saves – SMU 5 (Griffin Small), SPU 3 (Kary Whitney).
Corner kicks – SMU 5, SPU 5.
Fouls – SMU 7, SPU 6.
Offsides – SMU 0, SPU 2.
 
Records
Saint Martin's 1-13-1, 1-8-1 GNAC
Seattle Pacific 11-4-1, 7-3-1 GNAC
 
 
Next SPU Men's Soccer Game
Seattle Pacific at Simon Fraser
Saturday, Nov. 4, 7:00 p.m. PDT
Terry Fox Field / Burnaby, B.C.