• FINAL STATS   |   • VIDEO: Reid  Baez

SEATTLE – Titus Grant's team-leading 12th goal and assist on a late score by Reid Baez were not enough for the Seattle Pacific men, who lost a 3-2 decision to Montana State Billings in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference soccer game at Interbay Stadium.
 
The Falcons (8-8-0) fell despite a 19-13 lead in the shot count, including a commanding 13-3 advantage during the second half. Their conference record dropped to 4-5-0 with a second straight setback.

Saturday's score was the exact reverse from the team's first meeting on Sept. 27 when SPU escaped Billings with a 3-2 victory behind a goal by Chris Cole with 44 seconds left to play. The Falcons still lead the all-time series by an 18-6-5 margin.
 
SPU lost 1-0 to Concordia (Ore.) on Thursday while leading the shot count and having a penalty kick stopped.
 
"I don't fault the way we played tonight," said Falcons' coach Mark Collings "We created a ton of goal-scoring opportunities, but we gave up some really interesting goals. Back-to-back games feeling like this is difficult."
 


Billings (7-7-2) got two goals from Pascal Pisarek, one in each half, to even its GNAC record at 4-4-1. Samuele Folla tallied the game's opening goal for the visitors at 13:36 with a firm 12-yard shot into the left side of the SPU goal.
 
Grant leveled the score, 1-1, at 22:02. He capitalized on a free kick six yards outside the top of the box, pounding a shot that caromed off a defender and into the right side of the Billings goal.
 
"A well taken free kick and Titus probably should have had at least more tonight on another set piece," Collings said. "He's dangerous. His pace is something teams really have to deal with and his teammates have really started getting him the ball in places that he can be dangerous."
 
Grant attempted seven shots, tying MSUB's Ricardo Palomino for game-high honors. A clever play on a 51st-minute free kick by Baez just outside the box freed Grant near the 12-yard spot with only the goalkeeper to beat. Rhodin raced out to smother the low shot.
 
A sophomore forward, Grant had a six-game scoring streak stopped in Thursday's shutout loss. He has amassed 10 goals in the last eight games. Grant is the Falcons' first double-digit goal scorer since Tyler Schultz compiled 16 in 2011.
 
Palomino was kept off the scoreboard two days after recording a hat trick with three second-half goals in a 4-2 MSUB win at Northwest Nazarene.
 
Fortune smiled on the Yellowjackets for the go-ahead goal at 32:18. Adam Hepburn blasted a 24-yard free kick the was blocked in the box. The rebound spun to the feet of teammate Pisarek behind the defense and he beat SPU goalkeeper Lars Helleren low to the left side.
 
Sam Rucklos nearly tied it for the Falcons in the 37th minute. His quick header toward the upper right corner was deflected out of danger by goalkeeper Ludvig Rhodin.
 
The visitors parlayed a 10-6 first-half shot edge into a 2-1 advantage on the scoreboard going into intermission.
 
The MSUB lead grew 16 minutes into the second half with Pisarek's second score. From deep in the corner, Brady Tesch dropped a pass back to Pisarek, who quickly lofted a shot from far on the left flank that carried over the goalkeeper and nestled into the upper right corner at 61:35.
 
Intense pressure by the Falcons offense finally produced a result, but it came with only 4:30 left to play.

 

Rucklos served a cross from the left side to Grant on the right for a quick header back to the center. Baez right-footed a volley from the top of the 6-yard box at 85:30 for his first SPU goal.
 
"The goal was fantastic with the build-up and patience we had. A great cross from Ruck to Titus for a header back across the box," Collings described. "A really composed finish from Reid. He's been bit a little by an injury, but he's starting to feel it and find the rhythm of the game.
 
"Good for Reid to get on the tally there, just a little too late though. We had a couple chances even after that to equalize, but it eluded us tonight, so credit to Billings."
 
The hosts continued to attack, getting two more quality opportunities to find the equalizer. Mario Vukic capped a dribbling run into the box with a 12-yard strike that sailed wide to the left in the 87th minute.
 
With 24 seconds remaining, Alden Massey swung a cross into the box for Rucklos, whose on-target header was grabbed by Rhodin to secure the result.
 
The Yellowjackets goalkeeper was credited with four saves while Helleren stopped three shots for SPU.
 
Helleren was tested early with a threatening header by Palomino in the seventh minute. The goalkeeper made a reaction save at the left post to knock the ball in the air before leaping high to catch it.
 
The Falcons play a pair of road games next week, beginning on Thursday at 7 p.m. against undefeated and top-ranked Simon Fraser. The Clan were impressive 6-1 victors in this season's first meeting on Oct. 6 in Seattle.
 
"That's a really difficult team to play, up there especially, and they're obviously rolling a bit. We had some good spells and the score maybe wasn't totally fair of how the match was last time, but they did lay one on us," Collings said. "We're going to have to find a way to stop leaking bad goals because we just continue to do that and against a team like Simon Fraser you really put yourselves in a hole.
 
"Hopefully we can come up with a good game plan as coaches to help give our guys the best opportunity on Thursday night."
 
SPU travels to Bellingham on Saturday for a 7 p.m. clash with Western Washington.
 
The Falcons' regular-season finale against Saint Martin's will be played at home on Nov. 1. Kick-off is 7 p.m. at Interbay Stadium.
 
 
NCAA MEN'S SOCCER
Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.
 
Montana State Billings 3, at Seattle Pacific 2
 
Scoring – 1, MSUB, Samuele Folla (Luca Battistotti, Adam Hepburn), 13:36; 2, SPU, Titus Grant (unassisted), 22:02; 3, MSUB, Pascal Pisarek (Hepburn), 32:18; 4, MSUB, Pisarek (Brady Tesch), 61:35; 5, SPU, Reid Baez (Titus Grant, Sam Rucklos), 85:30.
 
                          1   2  --  TOTAL
Montana State Billings    2   1  --    3
Seattle Pacific           1   1  --    2
 
Shots – MSUB 13, SPU 19.
Shots on Goal – MSUB 6, SPU 6.
Saves – MSUB 4 (Ludvig Rhodin), SPU 3 (Lars Helleren).
Corner kicks – MSUB 3, SPU 4.
Fouls – MSUB 15, SPU 9.
Offsides – MSUB 1, SPU 1.
 
Records
Montana State Billings 7-7-2,  4-4-1 GNAC
Seattle Pacific 8-8-0,  4-5-0 GNAC
 
 
Next SPU Men's Soccer Game
Seattle Pacific at (#1) Simon Fraser
Thursday, Oct. 25, 7:00 p.m. PDT
Terry Fox Field / Burnaby, B.C.
 
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