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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 –
Seattle Pacific at Montana State Billings
2:30 p.m. PDT (3:30 pm MDT), Yellowjacket Field, Billings, Mont.
 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 –
Seattle Pacific at Northwest Nazarene
2:00 p.m. PDT (3:00 pm MDT), NNU Soccer Field, Nampa, Idaho
 
• Webcast & LiveStats for both games:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
 
A long and winding road trip begins this week and takes the Seattle Pacific men (4-2-1, 0-1-1 GNAC) through four states. The five-game road swing starts on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 2:30 p.m. Pacific Time (3:30 p.m. MDT) against first-place Montana State Billings (4-4-0, 2-0-0). The Yellowjackets halted a seven-game losing skid versus SPU with a road tie and home win in last season's encounters. On Saturday, Sept. 30 the Falcons visit Nampa, Idaho to clash with Northwest Nazarene (3-3-0, 0-1-0). The Crusaders won the last meeting 1-0 for only their second victory in 22 all-time meetings with SPU.
 
Working Overtime
Each of the last three SPU games have gone overtime with a 1-1-1 record in those extended contests. Last year's team played six overtime contests, including a stretch of four consecutive games all of which ended in draws. The current cast of Falcons has a ways to go to match the school record of eight overtimes in 2007.
 
Streak Stopped
Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to Western Washington halted a five-game unbeaten streak for Seattle Pacific. After losing the season opener 2-1 to Chico State despite an 18-11 shot advantage, the Falcons reeled off victories over Sonoma State (4-1), Metro State (2-1), Colorado Christian (3-2) and Fort Hays State (2-1). The latter was accomplished in dramatic fashion when Ryan Higgins netted a golden goal with 26 seconds left in the final overtime on Sept. 14 versus Fort Hays. SPU then played second-ranked Simon Fraser to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 21 in Seattle, getting a goal from Jess Cayetano.
 


Brace Yourself
Three of this year's games have seen an SPU scorer post a pair of goals. Gabe Kellum scored twice against Sonoma State (Sept. 2), Mori Tsuchiya at Metro State (Sept. 7) and Gabriel Weber at Colorado Christian (Sept. 9). The Falcons had four multi-goal games from players during the entire 2016 season.
 
Throw-Ins
SPU has scored 15 times, a 2.14 goals-per-game average that is the program's highest rate since the 2002 squad averaged 2.79 ... Only Julian White, Ryan Higgins and Chaz Jenkins have opened every game as 19 players have drawn at least one starting assignment ... Seven different players account for the team's last seven goals.
 
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
A lot of fresh faces for the Falcons! One third of the roster is comprised of newcomers and 10 of the 27 players have never seen action in an SPU uniform. Seven starters do return from last year's 6-6-5 squad, including players who accounted for 19 of the team's 33 goals. Senior forward Gabe Kellum is the top returning scorer with six goals to his credit in 2016. He also distributed four assists. Senior midfielder Jess Cayetano compiled four goals and two assists and was rewarded with honorable mention All-GNAC accolades. 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
Montana State Billings (4-4-0, 2-0-0 GNAC) -- The first-place Yellowjackets are averaging nearly two goals per game, including three-goal efforts in both GNAC games last week, versus Northwest Nazarene (3-2) and Concordia (3-1). Guillame Kremer leads the attack with three goals and three assists and JD Hauenstein also has three goals. Goalkeeper Tom Lohmann has a perfect 4-0-0 record and a 1.86 goals against average. SPU leads the all-time series 16-4-5 and won seven straight encounters before the teams drew 1-1 on Sept. 29, 2016 in Seattle. The Yellowjackets won the rematch, 1-0 on Oct. 22 in Billings.  The 2015 matchup in Billings on Oct. 8 was a 3-1 Falcons victory that featured consecutive goals 13 seconds apart in the 62nd minute by Ian Adams and Mori Tsuchiya.
 
Northwest Nazarene (3-3-0, 0-1-0 GNAC) -- The Crusaders lost their GNAC opener 3-2 at Montana State Billings on Sept. 21. They are led by second-year coach Joel Delass. Michael Bryant paces the NNU offense with two goals and an assist and Carlo Rodriguez-Diaz also has two goals. The goalkeeping tandem of Jacob Hillyer and Cade Leatherman combined for one shutout and a 2.22 goals against average. The Falcons lead the series 14-2-6. Both of last season's meetings went into overtime. They played to a scoreless draw on Oct. 1 in Seattle and the Crusaders were 1-0 victors on Oct. 20 in Nampa, Idaho on a 108th-minute golden goal by Alex Mitrovic.

 

Coach Collings
Mark Collings is in his 10th season as head coach at his alma mater. He has directed Seattle Pacific to a 104-43-30 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.
 
Next Week
The Falcons visit Bellingham for a rematch with Western Washington on Oct. 5 and Portland, Ore. to clash with Concordia on Oct. 7. The five-game road trip concludes on Oct. 12 at Saint Martin's. SPU's next home game is Oct. 19 at 4:30 p.m. versus NNU.