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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5 –
Seattle Pacific at Western Washington
7:30 p.m. PDT, Harrington Field, Bellingham, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7 –
Seattle Pacific at Concordia (Ore.)
4:00 p.m. PDT, Tuominen Yard, Portland, Ore.
 
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12 –
Seattle Pacific at Saint Martin's
3:00 p.m. PDT, SMU Soccer Field, Lacey, Wash.
 
• Webcast & LiveStats for all three games:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
 
In the midst of a five-game road trip, third-place Seattle Pacific (6-2-1, 2-1-1 GNAC) visits Bellingham on Thursday, Oct. 5 for a pivotal matchup with first-place Western Washington (4-2-2, 3-0-0). Kick-off is 7:30 p.m. at Harrington Field for the rematch of a Sept. 23 clash in Seattle. The Vikings won this season's first meeting, rallying from two goals down for a 3-2 overtime decision. On Saturday, Oct. 7 the SPU men travel to Portland, Ore. to meet Concordia at 4 p.m. They have never lost in five all-time meetings with the Cavaliers, going 3-0-2. The long road trip concludes on Thursday, Oct. 12 at 3 p.m. at Saint Martin's (0-9-0 0-4-0).  SPU has not lost to the Saints since 2009, forging a 13-0-1 record since then.
 
Road Warriors
The SPU men are perfect on the road this season with a 4-0 record in contrast to a 2-2-1 home mark. They have outscored opponents 11-5 away from Seattle.
 
Balanced Attack
Eleven different Falcons have scored at least one goal and 12 distributed one or more assists to form a balanced offense. Gabriel Weber (4 goals/3 assists) and Gabe Kellum (3 goals/5 assists) are tied for team honors with 11 points apiece.
 
Throw-Ins
The Falcons lost just once in their last eight outings, compiling a 6-1-1 record during that span ... Gabe Kellum (Sept. 2), Mori Tsuchiya (Sept. 7) and Gabriel Weber  (Sept. 9) each have a two-goal game this season ... SPU has scored 21 times, a 2.33 goals-per-game average that is the program's highest ratio since the 2002 squad averaged 2.79 ... With 25 assists in nine games, the current rate of 2.78 per game is SPU's best since the 2000 squad averaged 3.68 assists (70 in 19 games) ... One third of the roster (9 of 27 players) is comprised of newcomers and eight Falcons made their SPU playing debut this year.



Players of the Week
SPU freshman Alex Mejia was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week and junior goalkeeper Kary Whitney garnered Defensive Player of the Week honors on Monday. They led SPU to a pair of road wins last week, 2-1 at Montana State Billings (Sept. 28) and 4-1 at Northwest Nazarene (Sept. 30). Mejia relocated from his usual defensive position to play forward and compiled two game-winning goals and an assist. He factored into both SPU scores in Thursday's 2-1 come-from-behind win, notching the decisive strike in the 73rd minute. Saturday, Mejia put the Falcons ahead for good in the 21st minute. Whitney made 12 saves last week. He stopped four shots in Thursday's 2-1 decision and the lone goal he allowed came on a successful penalty kick. Whitney had eight saves in Saturday's 4-1 decision and dove to block a 78th-miute penalty shot.
 
Playoff Pursuit
The Falcons are vying for their 36th NCAA Division II Tournament berth. They participated in the playoffs five straight seasons from 2011-15, a streak that stopped last year. SPU has won five national championships (1978, 1983, 1985, 1986 & 1993).
 
2017 Preview
Although one third of the roster is comprised of newcomers, seven starters return from last year's 6-6-5 squad, including players accounting for 19 of the team's 33 goals. Senior forward Gabe Kellum is the top returning scorer with six goals in 2016. Senior midfielder Jess Cayetano, an honorable mention All-GNAC pick, had four goals and two assists. A trio of defensive starters is back in Ryan Higgins, Luke Postma and Julian White. The lengthy list of returning regulars is bolstered by six players that started at least once in 2016, along with eight true freshmen who will challenge for playing time.
 
This Week's Opponents
Western Washington (4-2-2, 3-0-0 GNAC) -- The first-place Vikings are unbeaten in their last six outings (4-0-2). WWU senior midfielder Luke Olney, who has two goals, is the son of former SPU standout Reece Olney (1986-90). Anthony Dean tops the team with eight goals. The Falcons own a 47-15-9 lead in the all-time series against Western and has not lost in Bellingham since 2010, going 5-0-1 since then. The Vikings rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win the last meeting 3-2 on a golden goal by Stephen Jinneman 2:39 into overtime on Sept. 23 in Seattle. Both 2016 matchups were draws.
 
Concordia (2-5-1, 1-2-0 GNAC): The Cavaliers, from Portland, Oregon, are third-year members of the GNAC and NCAA. They upset No. 2-ranked Simon Fraser 3-2 on Sept. 28. Michael Hatch paces the CU attack with two goals and two assists. SPU leads the series 3-0-2 after sweeping the Cavaliers in 2016. The Falcons were 3-2 victors on Oct. 8 in Seattle and won 3-1 on Oct. 27 in Portland.
 
Saint Martin's (0-9-0, 0-4-0 GNAC) -- The Saints are winless, but five losses came by narrow one-goal margins.  Brandon Madsen accounted for five of SMU's 11 goals. Goalkeeper Griffin Small compiled a 3.07 goals against average while averaging 5.1 saves per game. SPU swept the season series in 2016 to increase its series lead to 16-3-1. The Falcons won 4-2 in Seattle and 2-1 in Lacey.

 

Coach Collings
Mark Collings is in his 10th season as head coach at his alma mater. He has directed Seattle Pacific to a 106-43-30 record, two GNAC championships and a stretch of five consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament berths from 2011-15. His coaching highlights include school-record streaks of 13 consecutive victories and 15 games unbeaten established in 2014 along with absorbing the fewest losses in a campaign with just one in 2015 (14-1-4). Collings registered his 100th coaching victory with the Falcons on Oct. 28, 2016. He collected his third GNAC Coach of the Year award in 2015 (also 2010 & 2014). Collings is the third head coach in the 50-year history of SPU men's soccer. He replaced Cliff McCrath (512-190-87 record from 1970-2007). Arnie Aizstrauts was 1-14-1 from 1968-69. The co-captain as a defender on SPU's 1998 Final Four team, Collings was a five-year assistant coach for the Falcons.
 
2016 Review
Last year, the SPU men posted a 6-6-5 record and were absent from the NCAA field for the first time since 2010, snapping a five-year playoff streak. They injury-depleted Falcons finished fifth in the GNAC standings with a 4-4-4 league ledger. Five Falcons, including four-time, first-team defender Davis Karaica, were named to the All-GNAC squad. Karaica was a two-time All-American who participated in 30 shutouts while starting each of his 73 career games at SPU. Seniors Jeffrey Collings and Cody Lang were recognized as second-team selections. Senior Jordan Kollars and junior Jess Cayetano received honorable mention acclaim.