• FINAL STATS

PORTLAND, Ore. – Julian White scored the game-winning goal with a brilliant volley in traffic Saturday that lifted Seattle Pacific to a 2-1 men's soccer victory over Concordia (Ore.) in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference clash at Tuominen Yard.
 
A senior defender, White moved forward for a corner kick. Trevor Lee served a cross from the left corner and goalkeeper Benoit Bouillant punched it away from the goalmouth to White, who first-timed a 16-yard smash that found its way through several players and snuck inside the left post at 76:02.
 
That was the second goal of the season for the former full-time forward from Redmond (Wash.) High School who has five career scores as a Falcon. White was repositioned to his current outside back post last season.
 
"Certainly Julian's comfortable in and around the goal. We like to think that we have complete players that can do a multitude of things," explained SPU coach Mark Collings. "We like our backs to get forward. We were short-handed today and we knew we were going to have to get some goals from somewhere. Both Julian and Nik Reierson really provided us with some attacking effort."
 
Reierson (Cedarcrest HS), a freshman outside back, pressed forward and sent a shot just over the crossbar seven minutes into the contest.
 
White nearly got into the scoring column in the 25th minute, while the game was still scoreless. A quick free kick sent him on a dribbling run through the left side of the box toward the left post. His shot, from an acute angle, was grabbed by the goalkeeper.
 
Gabe Kellum provided the visitors an initial lead in the 35th minute with a perfectly placed, 23-yard free kick from the top of the box. The ball was spotted just left of the arc and Kellum curved a low shot around the wall and inside the right post at 34:38.
 
"Gabe's ability to finish is what makes him great for us," Collings said. "He got a clean look. We liked the location of the ball and where it was because it was a natural strike for him. Fortunately for us he hit that one really well."

 

The senior forward leads SPU with 13 points, including a team-high five assists. Kellum is tied with Gabriel Weber for top scoring honors with four goals apiece.
 
Concordia equalized early in the second half on a 15-yard strike by Christian Thyron. Teammate Conrad Gooley sent a low cross from the left flank that carried past two players before reaching Thyron on the right side. His shot traveled across the goalmouth and into the left side netting at 54:40.
 
"We were disappointed from the standpoint that we're trying to really work on our defending and not giving up goals as much," said Collings. "Again, we have one little lapse and we get punished.
 
"Credit to Concordia for being able to capitalize on our error, but bigger credit to our guys for being able to rally and find the game winner."
 
The Falcons (7-3-1) improved to 3-2-1 in conference play, rebounding from Thursday's 2-0 loss at Western Washington. They boast a 5-1 record in road games this season.
 
"I'm just proud of how hard our guys played and competed today," Collings said. "They are tired and for them to be able to dig down, stick together and come back to get a win on the road is big. Nothing is ever easy in the GNAC and that was shown again today. Any win on the road that we can get, we're definitely going to take."
 
Goalkeeper Kary Whitney stopped three shots for SPU. Bouillant was credited with two saves for the Cavaliers, who were outshot by a slim 10-9 margin.
 
The Cavaliers (2-6-2) saw their GNAC record drop to 1-3-1. They are winless in six all-time meetings as SPU owns a 4-0-2 series lead.
 
The Falcons conclude a five-game road trip on Thursday at Saint Martin's. Kick-off is 3 p.m. at SMU Soccer Field in Lacey, Wash.
 
"Boy if we can come through this and get a win on Thursday it would be really amazing for us," Collings said. "It's really, really hard to win soccer games in this conference. To win on the road is even more difficult.
 
"The fact that we've been on the road for two weeks now and we have three wins and one loss is just tremendous. It speaks a lot to the character of the guys that we have in our locker room."
 
Seattle Pacific hosts Northwest Nazarene on Oct. 19 at 4:30 p.m. to begin a four-game homestand at Interbay Stadium.
 
 
NCAA MEN'S SOCCER
Saturday, October 7, 2017
Tuominen Yard / Portland, Ore.
 
Seattle Pacific 2, at Concordia (Ore.) 1
 
Scoring – 1, SPU, Gabe Kellum (free kick), 34:48; 2, CU, Christian Thyron (Conrad Gooley) 54:40; 3, SPU, Julian White, 76:02.
 
                       1   2  --  TOTAL
Seattle Pacific        1   1  --    2
Concordia (Ore.)       0   1  --    1
 
Shots – SPU 10, CU 9.
Shots on Goal – SPU 4, CU 4.
Saves – SPU 3 (Kary Whitney), CU 2 (Benoit Bouillant).
Corner Kicks – SPU 8, CU 4.
Fouls – SPU 8, CU 20.
Offsides – SPU 4, CU 2.
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 7-3-1, 3-2-1 GNAC
Concordia 2-6-2, 1-3-1 GNAC
 
Next SPU Men's Soccer Game
Seattle Pacific at Saint Martin's
Thursday, Oct. 12, 3:00 p.m. PDT
SNU Soccer Field / Lacey, Wash.