• COMPLETE RELEASE (pdf)    |    • VIDEO: Eduardo  Calvo-Salinas

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31
Seattle Pacific at (#23) Western Washington
7:00 p.m. PDT, Harrington Field; Bellingham, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2
Seattle Pacific at Simon Fraser
7:00 p.m. PDT, Terry Fox Field; Burnaby, B.C.
 
• Webcast & LiveStats for both games:  http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
 
On the road for four of its final five games, the Seattle Pacific men's soccer team this week visits two teams at the top of the table. The Falcons (3-8-1, 2-5-0 GNAC) travel to Bellingham on Thursday, Oct. 31 to take on 23rd-ranked Western Washington, which sits atop the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings. The Vikings (9-3-1, 6-0-1) are undefeated in their last eight outings, including a 3-1 win at SPU on Oct. 3. On Saturday, Nov. 2, the Falcons visit Burnaby, B.C. for a 7 p.m. contest at second-place Simon Fraser. The Clan (7-3-1, 4-2-1) won the last four encounters in the series after SPU tied then No. 2-ranked Simon Fraser 1-1 on Sept. 21, 2017 in Seattle.
 
Terrific Titus
Junior forward Titus Grant compiled a pair of goals and three assists in two games last week, increasing his team-leading total in both categories. Grant netted seven goals this season, three more than any other Falcon (Mario Vukic with 4), and five assists. His total of 19 points is more than double that of any teammate. Grant picked up a point in half (6) of SPU's 12 games this season. He is the only Falcon with a multi-goal game this year and did it twice, on Oct. 10 vs. Northwest Nazarene and Oct. 24 at Saint Martin's. Grant was a first-team All-GNAC honoree in 2018 and third-team All-West Region pick.
 
Falcons Fast Fact
SPU scored the game's first goal just three times in 12 outings this season and has s 2-0-1 record in those outings. An opening tally led to a 1-1 draw with Sonoma State (Sept. 5) a 5-2 win over Northwest Nazarene (Oct. 10) and a 3-1 win at Saint Martin's (Oct. 24). The Falcons built two halftime leads this year and won both games. They have been tied at intermission four times and trailed on six occasions.

EDUARDO  CALVO-SALINAS INTERVIEW

 Last Week
SPU scored three goals in back-to-back games, but got opposite results. Titus Grant netted two first-half goals and assisted on Mario Vukic's 59th-minute strike in a 3-1 win at Saint Martin's (Oct. 24). The Falcons conceded two late goals to spoil a thrilling three-goal, second-half rally in a 4-3 overtime home loss to Concordia-Portland (Oct. 26). Alden Massey and Alex Mejia scored to level the score and Eduardo Calvo-Salinas netted the go-ahead tally with 16 minutes remaining. The Cavaliers equalized with 17 seconds left in regulation and then got a golden goal in the third minute of the final overtime.
 
Throw-Ins
 

The Falcons last win over a ranked foe was a 1-0 home result versus No. 22 Northwest Nazarene on Oct. 11, 2014. They are winless in their last 13 meetings with ranked teams (0-10-3) ... The last time SPU scored three or more goals in a loss, like Saturday, was a 4-3 setback at Simon Fraser on Oct. 1, 2014 ... Nineteen different Falcons drew at least two starts this season with five of them making SPU starting debuts ... The SPU defense limited four opponents to a single goal, but has not registered a shutout. Only once in the 52-year history of the program has a Falcons team failed to post a shutout (1970).
 


Shot Stoppers
SPU has two different goalkeepers with a double-digit save game during the same season for the first time since 1972 when Rex Yoder (14) and Dave Landry (12) accomplished the feat. Lars Helleren stopped 10 Sonoma State shots on Sept. 5 and Jordan Marwood compiled 12 saves at West Texas A&M on Sept. 16. The SPU school record of 14 saves was established by Yoder, who did it twice in 1972.
 
Chico Cancelled
SPU's Sept. 7 home game versus Chico State was stopped in the 35th minute and eventually cancelled due to persistent lightning. All stats from that game were voided, including an eighth-minute header by defender Ed Weise that gave SPU a 1-0 lead.
 
This Week's Opponents
(#23) Western Washington (9-3-1, 6-0-1 GNAC) -- The 23rd-ranked and first-place Vikings are undefeated in their last eight outings and have not surrendered more than one goal in a game during that span, with three shutouts. Western is riding a five-game winning streak. WWU is outscoring opponents 24-13 behind the six goals of Ryan Schaefer, two of them coming in this year's first meeting with SPU. Georg Cholewa has four goals and five assists. The goalkeeping tandem of Brandon Wolter and Brandon Locke combined for four shutouts and a 0.97 goals against average. The Falcons own a 48-18-9 lead in the all-time series despite losing this season's first encounter 3-1 on Oct. 3 in Seattle. The Vikings were 5-1 in the last Bellingham meeting, on Oct. 27, 2018.
 
Simon Fraser (7-3-1, 4-2-1 GNAC) -- The second-place Clan lost it last game, 2-1, at home versus Western Washington. Simon Fraser claimed four straight GNAC titles (2010-13) and advanced to back-to-back Final Fours in 2012 and 2013. After two Seattle Pacific league championships (2014, 2015), the Clan captured the last three crowns. SFU is outscoring opponents 21-11 led by the eight goals and three assists of Matteo Polisi. Goalkeeper Aidan Bain has three cleans sheets and a 0.97 goals against average. Simon Fraser owns a 29-24-7 edge in the all-time series after winning the last four matchups, including a 4-2 victory on Oct. 5 in Seattle powered by a first-half hat trick from William Raphael.
 
Coach Collings
Mark Collings is in his 12th season as head coach at his alma mater. He has directed Seattle Pacific to a 122-65-31 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 registered his 100th coaching victory with the Falcons on Oct. 28, 2016. He is the third head coach in the 51-year history of SPU men's soccer. Collings 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). The co-captain as a defender on SPU's 1998 Final Four team, Collings was a five-year assistant coach for the Falcons.
 
2019 Season Preview
Seattle Pacific was projected for a fourth-place finish by the GNAC coaches, but the talent is on hand to place higher. Eight starters return from last year's team, including the top-five goal scorers. Headlining the list of returnees is first-team All-GNAC forward Titus Grant. The junior led the squad with 13 goals and five assists in 2018. Also back is sophomore Alden Massey, who netted six goals last season, sophomore Jake Ferry who had three and juniors Travis Swallow and Alex Mejia, who each scored twice. A trio of starters return on the backline in addition to holding midfielder Jose Benavides, a 2018 honorable mention All-GNAC honoree. Falcons defenders Nik Reierson and Ed Weise were similarly recognized by the conference.
 
Next Week
The Falcons play just once next week and it is their final home game of the 2019 slate. SPU hosts Saint Martin's on Saturday, Nov. 9 at Interbay Stadium and the team's lone senior, Trevor Lee, will be honored with a ceremony prior to the 7 p.m. start.