• Final Stats

BILLINGS, Mont. – As a defensive player during his own collegiate career, Coach Mark Collings has a soft spot for those who toil on the back line. Thursday night, one of those defenders responded to a position change with some unexpected offensive production.
 
Alex Mejia assisted on the equalizer before scoring the game-winning goal Thursday, leading the Seattle Pacific men to a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Montana State Billings in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference soccer contest at Yellowjacket Field.
 
A product of Seattle's Roosevelt High School, Mejia picked up his first collegiate points. The SPU freshman set up Gabriel Weber's tying goal in the 63rd minute and found the net himself off a cross from Trevor Lee in the 73rd.
 
Mejia is listed as a defender on the roster and primarily serves as a goal-preventer. An imposing figure at 6-feet-2 with a sturdy build, he was positioned on the forward line a few previous times this season, but did not open his scoring account until Thursday.
 
"As a former defender myself, we're all a forward at heart," quipped Collings, a four-year letterman for SPU and the captain of the 1998 Final Four squad. He is in the 10th season as head coach at his alma mater.
 
"Due to some different things going on within our team we've been looking for a little spark up top. Alex has good feet and a good frame on him. So we've been flirting with moving him up top, and we did that today. He was very good."
 
The Falcons (5-2-1) evened their league ledger at 1-1-1 and remained perfect on the road with their third victory in as many outings. Continued success away from home will be crucial as Thursday was the first of five consecutive road games for SPU.
 
"We look to build on the momentum of this game," said Collings. "Montana State Billings is a good team and they were hot, coming in winning four games in a row. To come in here and get a win is really big for us."
 
Billings (4-5-0) had its four-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 2-1-0 with its first GNAC setback.
 
The Yellowjackets controlled much of the first half and outshot the visitors 9-4. They took a 1-0 lead into intermission on a 20th-minute penalty kick by Guillaume Kremer. Teammate JD Hauenstein was fouled in the box by an SPU defender to set up the free shot.
 
The Falcons turned the tables after halftime, outshooting their hosts 9-2 to finish with a 13-11 edge for the game. They scored on their first shot of the second half.

 

Weber was running parallel to the goal line and received a pass at the near post from Mejia on the left flank. Weber flicked the ball behind his plant leg with his left foot, scoring from six yards out at 63:00 with his team-leading fourth goal.
 
Exactly 10 minutes later SPU notched the go-ahead goal. Lee's service from the right side found Mejia at the far post for a 12-yard finish. Lee distributed an assist for the second straight game.
 
Goalkeeper Kary Whitney registered four saves for the Falcons and his Billings counterpart, Tom Lohmann, had three.
 
The SPU men continue their lengthy road trip with a visit to Nampa, Idaho on Saturday. They meet Northwest Nazarene at 2 p.m. Pacific Time in a conference clash.
 
"We have a tough day of travel ahead of us (Friday) and then we'll see what we can do with Northwest Nazarene who has a very good team again this year," Collings said. "They'll be waiting for us. We'll see if we can put together a game plan for Saturday and hope for a good 90 minutes instead of just 45."
 
 
NCAA MEN'S SOCCER
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Yellowjacket Field / Billings, Mont.
 
Seattle Pacific 2, at Montana State Billings 1
 
Scoring – 1, MSUB, Guillaume Kremer (pk), 19:12; 2, SPU, Gabriel Weber (Alex Mejia), 63:00; 3, SPU, Mejia (Trevor Lee), 73:00.
 
                       1   2  --  TOTAL
Seattle Pacific        0   2  --    2
Simon Fraser           1   0  --    1
 
Shots – SPU 13, MSUB 11.
Saves – SPU 5 (Kary Whitney 4), MSUB 3 (Tom Lohmann).
Corner Kicks – SPU 8, MSUB 3.
Fouls – SPU 4, MSUB 17.
Offsides – SPU 1, MSUB 1.
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 5-2-1, 1-1-1 GNAC
Montana State Billings 4-5-0, 2-1-0 GNAC
 
Next SPU Men's Soccer Game
Seattle Pacific at Northwest Nazarene
Saturday, Sept. 30, 2:00 p.m. PDT
NNU Soccer Field / Nampa, Idaho