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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18
Concordia (Ore.) at Seattle Pacific
7:00.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20
Montana State Billings at Seattle Pacific
7:00.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
 
• Webcast for both games:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
• LiveStats for both games:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/spu/msoc/
 
A six-game men's soccer homestand concludes with two Interbay Stadium games this week for streaking Seattle Pacific, which won five of its last six contests. The lone loss in that span came against top-ranked Simon Fraser. The Falcons (8-6-0, 4-3-0 GNAC) seek to avenge an overtime setback when they host Concordia (Ore.) on Thursday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. The Cavaliers (3-8-1, 1-6-0) defeated SPU for the first time in eight tries, posting a 2-1 decision on Sept. 22 in Portland on a 94th-minute golden goal by Liam Kiger. Montana State Billings visits Seattle on Saturday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. SPU was a 3-2 victor in this year's first meeting, on Sept. 27 in Billings. Chris Cole's goal with 44 seconds left was the difference.
 
Player of the Week
Titus Grant, who registered a rapid hat trick in less than nine minutes and totaled four goals in a pair of home victories, was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. The sophomore forward extended his scoring streak to six consecutive games and amassed nine goals during that span. Grant bunched three first-half goals in a brief 8-minute, 19-second span to spark SPU's 3-2 win over Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. He netted scores at 18:17, 20:09 and 26:36 to help the Falcons rally from a goal down. He also tallied the game-winning goal in Thursday's 4-2 triumph over Western Washington with a 72nd-minute strike. Grant tops the Falcons with 11 goals despite playing only 12 games. He is SPU's first double-digit goal producer since first-team All-American Tyler Schultz scored 16 times during the 2011 season. Grant has played a part in 14 of SPU's 29 scores, leading the team in both goals (11) and assists (3).


 
Get Your Tickets
Falcons fans can now obtain tickets in advance for all home events. Buy tickets online at: http://siteline.vendini.com/site/spufalcons.com   Tickets are also available at the venue on game day. All seats for SPU soccer are general admission and priced at $7 for adults and $5 for youth and senior citizens. SPU students and staff are admitted free. For reduced group and team rates please call (206) 281-2393 in advance.
 
Youth Movement
All five SPU multi-goal scorers are underclassmen. Sophomore Titus Grant leads the team with 11 goals, freshman Alden Massey has five and red-shirt freshman Jake Ferry has three while sophomores Alex Mejia and Travis Swallow each have two. Eight of the 10 scorers are underclassmen, accounting for 25 of the team's 29 tallies.
 
Throw-Ins
SPU boasts a 5-1-0 home record with the lone loss coming on Oct. 6 against top-ranked Simon Fraser ... Two Falcons recorded hat tricks (Alden Massey-Sept. 15 / Titus Grant-Oct. 13) for the first season since Andy Wolverton and Blaine Carver each had a three-goal game in 2010 ... SPU out-scored opponents 24-9 in its six wins  ... The Falcons played short-handed in their first two games, losses at Chico State and Sonoma State. Titus Grant drew two yellow cards on Aug. 30 and Sam Rucklos was shown red on Sept. 1.
 
Balanced Attack
Ten different players accounted for the 29 SPU tallies with just five multi-goal scorers. Playmaking duties have also been shared as the 22 assists were distributed by 13 players. Mario Vukic, Reid Baez and Titus Grant top SPU with three assists.
 
Shuffling Lineup
SPU has implemented 12 different lineups in its 14 games and used the same starting group in back-to-back outings just once (Sept. 27 & 29). No Falcon has started every game and just three opened 13 games. Eight players debuted with SPU this year and freshmen Lars Helleren, Alden Massey and Ed Weise each drew at least 11 starts.
 
This Week's Opponents
Concordia (3-8-1, 1-6-0 GNAC) -- The Cavaliers, from Portland, Oregon, are fourth-year members of the GNAC and NCAA. Concordia lost its last six games after opening GNAC play with a 2-1 overtime win over the Falcons on Sept. 22 in Portland. That was the Cavs first win in the series and halted a four-game winning streak by SPU, which leads the all-time series 5-1-2.  Kieran McMinn's four goals lead Concordia. Goalkeeper Grant Alcorn compiled two shutouts and a 1.63 goals against average.
 
Montana State Billings (5-7-2, 2-4-1 GNAC) -- The Yellowjackets tied Western Washington (1-1) and beat Concordia (2-0) before losing their last game, versus Saint Martin's (3-2). Dana Kowachek leads Billings with six goals while Guillame Kremer is the top playmaker with five assists. Goalkeeper Ludvig Rhodin has two shutouts and a 1.83 goals against average. SPU leads the all-time series 18-5-5 after escaping Billings with a 3-2 win on Sept. 27. The Falcons rallied from a two-goal deficit, tying the score 2-2 in the 70th minute on a Titus Grant penalty kick and getting the game-winner by Chris Cole with 44 left in regulation time.
 
Coach Collings
Mark Collings is in his 11th season as head coach at his alma mater. He has directed Seattle Pacific to a 119-52-30 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 is the third head coach in the 51-year history of SPU men's soccer. He collected his third GNAC Coach of the Year award in 2015 (also 2010 & 2014). Collings replaced Cliff McCrath, who compiled a 512-190-87 mark in 38 seasons (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.
 
2018 Preview
SPU was projected to replicate last season's runner-up result according to the preseason GNAC coaches poll. Last year, the Falcons posted an 11-5-1 record, but were absent from the NCAA Division II Tournament field for only the second time since 2010. They finished second in the GNAC standings with a 7-4-1 record, just two points back of Simon Fraser. Five starters return from last year's team, including senior goalkeeper Kary Whitney, who opened all but one game last season while compiling a 1.43 goals against average. The defense features returning senior starters Jacob Bohl and Luke Postma. Sophomore Jose Benavides, an honorable mention All-GNAC performer, is back to bolster the midfield. The SPU offense looks to replace its top-four point producers. Sophomore Alex Mejia is the top returning scorer with eight points, on three goals and two assists. Junior forward Samuel Agyei netted two goals last year. The cadre of returning regulars is bolstered by six players that started at least once in 2017, along with eight true freshmen and University of Portland transfer Reid Baez.
 
Next Week
The Falcons embark on their final road trip, beginning on Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. against No. 1-ranked Simon Fraser. They travel to Bellingham on Oct. 27 for a 7 p.m. clash versus Western Washington at Harrington Field.