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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11
Western Washington at Seattle Pacific
4:30.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13
Northwest Nazarene 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/
 
Seattle Pacific's six-game men's soccer homestand continues this week with two Great Northwest Athletic Conference clashes. The Falcons (6-6-0, 2-3-0 GNAC) complete their first swing through the league schedule on Thursday, Oct. 11 when Western Washington visits for a 4:30 p.m. contest. That is the opener of a doubleheader with the SPU women who play at 7 p.m. The Vikings (6-4-1, 2-2-1) swept both meetings last season after drawing both encounters with SPU in 2016. On Saturday, Oct. 13 the Falcons men embark on their second time through the GNAC slate, playing the 7 p.m. nightcap at home versus Northwest Nazarene. The second-place Nighthawks (3-7-1, 3-2-0) won this season's first meeting with a 2-0 decision on Sept. 20 in Nampa, Idaho.
 
Terrific Titus
Sophomore forward Titus Grant is on a scoring spree with at least one goal in each of the last four games, netting five during that span. He has played a part in 10 of SPU's 22 scores, leading the team in both goals (7) and assists (3). Grant is vying to become the Falcons first double-digit scorer since 2011 when Tyler Schultz netted 16 goals.
 
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 four SPU multi-goal scorers are underclassmen. Sophomore Titus Grant leads the team with seven goals and freshman Alden Massey has five while sophomore Alex Mejia and red-shirt freshman Jake Ferry each have two. Six of the nine Falcons who scored a goal are underclassmen, accounting for 18 of the team's 22 tallies. Freshmen (43) and sophomores (45) account for 88 of SPU's 132 total starts.
 
Shuffling Lineup
SPU has implemented 10 different lineups and used the same starting group in back-to-back games just once (Sept. 27 & 29). No Falcon has started every game and just five opened 11 games. Eight players debuted with SPU this year and freshmen Lars Helleren, Alden Massey, Mario Vukic and Ed Weise each drew at least nine starts.
 
Throw-Ins
SPU out-scored opponents 17-5 in its six victories and was out-scored by the exact same 17-5 figure in its six setbacks  ... Freshman Alden Massey netted three goals in the first half on Sept. 15 versus Hawaii Hilo, the first hat trick by a Falcon since Stephen MacDonald did it on Sept. 10, 2016 ... 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
Nine different players have accounted for the 17 SPU tallies with just four multi-goal scorers. Playmaking duties have also been spread out as the 15 assists were distributed by nine players. Mario Vukic and Titus Grant top the team with three assists.
 
Last Week
The non-conference portion of the schedule concluded with SPU's 4-1 home win over UMary (Oct. 4) behind the two-goal performance of Titus Grant. Top-ranked Simon Fraser then dealt the Falcons a 6-1 defeat with Grant getting the Falcons lone goal.
 
This Week's Opponents
Western Washington (6-4-1, 2-2-1 GNAC) -- The third-place Vikings are unbeaten in their last three outings (2-0-1), including Saturday's 5-0 road rout of Northwest Nazarene. Georg Cholewa tops the team with 17 points on seven goals and three assists. Goalkeeper Brandon Wolter compiled four shutouts and a 0.98 goals against average. The Falcons own a 47-16-9 lead in the all-time series despite getting swept last season by Western. The Vikings rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 on a golden goal by Stephen Jinneman 2:39 into overtime on Sept. 23 in Seattle. WWU won the rematch 2-0 on Oct. 5 in Bellingham. Both 2016 matchups were draws and the Falcons last win in the series was a 4-0 decision on Oct. 17, 2015 in Seattle.
 
Northwest Nazarene (3-7-1, 3-2-0 GNAC) -- The second-place Nighthawks were winless in non-conference play (0-5-1) before starting GNAC play with three victories. They lost their last two outings, versus Simon Fraser and Western Washington, and both were 5-0 home defeats last week. Rafael Junqueira leads NNU with six goals. Goalkeepers Colin Andersen and Jacob Hillyer combined for a 2.45 goals against average. The Falcons lead the series 16-3-6, including a season sweep in 2017. NNU won this year's first encounter with a 2-0 home result on Sept. 20 in the GNAC opener for both teams.
 
Coach Collings
Mark Collings is in his 11th season as head coach at his alma mater. He has directed Seattle Pacific to a 117-52-30 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 six-game Interbay Stadium homestand concludes with two 7 p.m. games next week. SPU hosts Concordia on Oct. 18 and Montana State Billings on Oct. 20.