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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
 Seattle Pacific at Montana State Billings
2:30 p.m. PDT (3:30 pm MDT), Yellowjacket Field, Billings, Mont.
 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
Seattle Pacific at Saint Martin's
3:30 p.m. PDT, SMU Soccer Complex, Lacey, Wash.
 
• Webcast & LiveStats for both games:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
 
A grueling stretch of eight road outings in the season's first 10 games concludes this week for the Seattle Pacific men with two Great Northwest Athletic Conference soccer contests. The Falcons (3-5-0, 0-2-0 GNAC) seek their first league victory with a visit to Montana State Billings on Thursday, Sept. 27 at 2:30 p.m. PDT (3:30 MDT). The Yellowjackets (4-4-1, 1-1-0) and SPU split the 2017 series, each winning 2-1 on the road. On Saturday, Sept. 29 at 3:30 p.m. the four-game road trip ends at Saint Martin's (3-5-0, 1-1-0). SPU has not lost to the Saints since 2009, forging a 15-0-1 record since then. The Falcons reward for enduring the road-heavy early schedule is a streak of six straight home games at Interbay Stadium that begins next Thursday, Oct. 4 and continues through Oct. 20.
 
Youth Movement
All three multi-goal scorers are underclassmen for SPU, which is undergoing a youth movement. Freshman Alden Massey's four goals lead the squad while red-shirt freshman Jake Ferry and sophomore Titus Grant each have two. In total, six of the eight Falcons who scored a goal are underclassmen, accounting for 11 of the team's 13 tallies. Freshmen (27) and sophomores (30) account for 57 of SPU's 88 total starts.


 
Get Tickets in Advance
Falcons fans can now purchase tickets in advance for all home events. Buy tickets online at: http://siteline.vendini.com/site/spufalcons.com
 
Throw-Ins
The Falcons out-scored opponents 7-1 in two home games, but have a 12-6 deficit on the road ... SPU has implemented a different lineup in all eight outings and only four players have started every game (Jose Benavides, Luke Postma, Nik Reierson, Ed Wiese) ... The Falcons are out-scoring opponents by a combined 11-4 count in the first half of games ... Eight players have debuted with SPU this year and freshmen Lars Helleren, Alden Massey, Mario Vukic and Ed Weise each drew at least five starts ... 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
Eight different players have accounted for the 13 SPU tallies with just three multi-goal scorers. Playmaking duties have also been spread out as the 11 assists were distributed by seven unique players. Titus Grant tops the team with three assists.
 
Last Week
Conference play started on the road for the Falcons, who suffered two setbacks. They were blanked for only the second time in a 2-0 loss at Northwest Nazarene (Sept. 20), allowing a set-piece score 13 seconds before halftime. SPU scored first with a 24th-minute strike by Alden Massey, but fell 2-1 in overtime at Concordia (Sept. 22).
 
Hat Trick
It took Falcons freshman Alden Massey less than a half to forge a hat trick on Sept. 15. He scored twice during the opening three minutes and netted his third in the 43rd minute of a 5-0 triumph over Hawaii Hilo. Massey, who did not play in the second half, posted the first three-goal game by an SPU player since Stephen MacDonald did the trick on Sept. 10, 2016. Massey tops the Falcons in total points with 10 on a team-high four goals and two assists.
 
This Week's Opponents
Montana State Billings (4-4-1, 1-1-0 GNAC) -- After opening the season with three straight defeats, the Yellowjackets lost just once in their last six games, and that was at third-ranked Simon Fraser. They are 4-1-1 during that span. Dana Kowachek leads Billings with three goals while Guillame Kremer is the top playmaker with five assists. Goalkeeper Ludvig Rhodin has one shutout and a 1.66 goals against average. SPU leads the all-time series 17-5-5 after the teams split their 2017 matchups. The visiting team won each time by the same 2-1 score. The Falcons were victorious on Sept. 28 in Billings and MSUB won the rematch on Oct. 21 in Seattle.
 
Saint Martin's (3-5-0, 1-1-0 GNAC) -- The Saints opened GNAC play with a 3-1 win at Western Washington (Sept. 20) before falling 6-1 at third-ranked Simon Fraser (Sept 22). Brandon Madsen is responsible for half (6) of SMU's 12 goals and Sebastian Navarro tops the team with three assists. Goalkeeper Griffin Small compiled one clean sheet and a 1.67 goals against average. SPU leads the all-time series 18-3-1 and hasn't lost to the Saints since 2009, forging a 15-0-1 record since then. The Falcons rallied from a two-goal deficit to win 5-3 at SMU on Oct. 12, 2017 in Lacey getting scores from five different players. They also won last year's second meeting, 3-1, on Oct. 28 in Seattle.
 
Coach Collings
Mark Collings enters his 11th season as head coach at his alma mater. He has directed Seattle Pacific to a 114-51-30 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 return to Seattle for their first extended homestand. They host six straight games at Interbay Stadium, beginning on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. against U-Mary in the final non-conference contest. SPU's first GNAC home game is Oct. 6 versus league-leading and top-ranked Simon Fraser on Oct. 6.