THIS WEEK'S MEN'S SOCCER SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14
(#7) Seattle Pacific at Western Washington
4:00 p.m. PDT, Harrington Field; Bellingham, Wash.
       • Webcast:  https://www.youtube.com/WWUVikingsAthletics
       • LiveStats:  https://wwuvikings.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary
 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16
(#7) Seattle Pacific at Simon Fraser
7:00 p.m. PDT, Terry Fox Field; Burnaby, B.C.
       • Webcast:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYAopYOypN0
       • LiveStats:  https://athletics.sfu.ca/sidearmstats/msoc/summary
 
Seventh-ranked Seattle Pacific, winners of its last six games, embarks on tough two-game road trip this week. The first-place Falcons (9-1-0, 3-0-0 GNAC) face their two fiercest Great Northwest Athletic Conference rivals, beginning with a visit to Western Washington (4-6-0, 2-1-0) on Thursday, Oct. 14. Kick-off is 4:00 p.m. at Harrington Field in Bellingham where the teams drew 1-1 in their last matchup, on May 15, 2021. On Saturday, Oct. 16 the Falcons travel to Burnaby, B.C. to tangle with Simon Fraser (4-5-0, 1-2-0). The Canadian side did not compete last season due to the COVID outbreak, but holds a slim 29-27-7 edge in the all-time series. The GNAC season and NCAA Division II Tournament that were cancelled last year will be contested this fall.
 
Super Start
SPU is in the midst of the program's best start in seven seasons, dating to the 2014 team whose only blemish through a comparable 10-game stretch was a tie. That squad went undefeated (14-0-1) through its first 15 games. This year's Falcons won their opening three GNAC games for the first time since that 2014 squad won its first 11.
 
Throw-Ins
• The current 6-game winning streak is SPU's longest since a school-record 13-game streak in 2014.
 
• Lars Helleren tops all GNAC goalkeepers in both goals against average (1.06) and shutouts (4).
 
• The Falcons lead the league with 28 goals and no other team has more than 16.
 
• Alex Mejia is tied for 5th nationally with 11 goals, just two behind leader Louis Silva of Georgian Court (13).
 
• On defense, SPU allows the fewest goals in the GNAC at 1.06 with nobody else lower than 1.50.
 
• Junior midfielder Tyler Speer is the GNAC's top playmaker with 5 assists to his credit.
 
• SPU tallied the first goal in 8 of 10 games this season with a 7-1-0 record in those outings.
 
• Alex Mejia leads the GNAC with 11 goals while Alden Massey ranks third with 6 scores.
 
Players of the Week
 

Seniors Alex Mejia and Nik Reierson, who propelled SPU to a pair of impressive home triumphs, received the GNAC Player of the Week wards on Monday. Each of them was recognized for the second time this season. Reierson reaped the defensive honor for the second straight week and Mejia was the offensive recipient on Sept. 20. Mejia erupted for three goals and an assist in the Falcons 6-0 victory over Saint Martin's (Oct. 9). He netted two of those goals in the opening 12 minutes and then found the back of the net on 6-yard header in the 52nd minute, off a cross from Reierson, to complete the first hat trick by a Falcon since 2018. The trio of tallies pushed the senior forward's league-leading total to 11 goals and his career figure to 21. Mejia netted at least one goal in eight of 10 outings and has produced the first double-digit scoring season by a Falcon since current teammate Titus Grant scored 13 goals in 2018. Reierson anchored a defense that surrendered just one score last week, and contributed a goal and assist on the offensive end. He converted a 63rd-minute penalty kick that proved to be the game winner in a 2-1 win over Northwest Nazarene (Oct. 7). That was the Reierson's second goal of the season and the fourth of his career.
 
This Week's Opponents
Western Washington (4-6-0, 2-1-0 GNAC) -- The Vikings won their last two games, including Saturday's 1-0 overtime win over Simon Fraser on a golden goal by Drew Farnsworth. He leads the team with five goals while Gilbert De La Luz has four. The goalkeeping trio of Brandon Wolter, Patrick Restum and Brandon Locke have combined for three shutouts (one apiece) and a 1.96 goals against average. The Falcons own a 48-20-10 lead in the all-time series despite going winless in the last five meetings (0-4-1). WWU won last season's first meeting 2-1 on May 8, 2021 in Seattle and the teams tied 1-1 in the Bellingham rematch on May 15. The last SPU win in the series was a 4-2 decision on Oct. 11, 2018 behind goals from a quartet of current Falcons: Ed Weise, Travis Swallow, Titus Grant and Jake Ferry.
 
Simon Fraser (4-5-0, 1-2-0 GNAC) -- Simon Fraser didn't play last season due to COVID and may be struggling this season because of that. The Canadians lost four of their last five outings and their five overall defeats are the most in a season since a five-loss campaign in 2014. SFU hasn't had a six-or-more-loss season since joining the GNAC in 2010. Brody Thomas paces the Simon Fraser attack with three goals. Goalkeeper Aiden Bain compiled three shutouts and a 1.30 goals against average. Simon Fraser owns a 29-25-7 edge in the all-time series despite losing the last matchup 2-1 on Nov. 2, 2019 in Burnaby, B.C.
 
 

Meet the Interim Coach
Kevin Sakuda begins his inaugural season at the helm, acting as the men's interim head coach after serving six seasons as the SPU women's assistant coach. He had a nine-year professional playing career, including six seasons with the USL version of the Seattle Sounders. A product of Mission San Jose (Calif.) High School, Sakuda lettered four years on the Duke University squad before graduating in 2002 with a psychology degree. He was selected by San Jose in the third round of the 2002 MLS SuperDraft, the 39th pick overall. Sakuda made 148 appearances as a defender with the USL from 2003-08. He played with the Montreal Impact in 2009 and the Austin Aztex in 2009-10. He also played in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 2002-05 with the San Diego Sockers. Sakuda is the fourth head coach in the 54-year history of SPU men's soccer. He replaced Mark Collings, who compiled a 129-68-32 record in 13 seasons (2008-20) before departing to become an assistant at the University of Washington. Cliff McCrath coached the Falcons to a 512-190-87 mark over 38 seasons (1970-2007) and Arnie Aizstrauts was 1-14-1 from 1968-69.
 
2021 Season Preview
Seattle Pacific, led by first-year coach Kevin Sakuda, was projected for a third-place finish by the GNAC preseason poll. The Falcons forged a 3-2-1 record in the abbreviated, pandemic-altered 2020-21 campaign that was conducted during the spring. Ten starters return from last year's SPU squad, including seven of the team's eight goal scorers. Alden Massey, Travis Swallow and Tyler Speer each netted two goals during the spring session. Senior forward Titus Grant returns after producing one goal and two assists. He was honored as a first-team All-GNAC selection in 2019 after topping the team with nine goals and seven assists. The entire backline returns intact, led by senior defenders Nik Reierson and Ed Weise, who have each been regular starters since arriving at SPU. Senior goalkeeper Lars Helleren is back for his fourth season between the posts.

 2020-21 Season Review
The Falcons completed the unique 2021 spring season with a 3-2-1 record. Due to the pandemic, the traditional 2020 fall season was vacated. Results and statistics from the spring season are official and count for record purposes, but there were no season-ending NCAA playoffs and the GNAC did not conduct a league schedule.
 
Upcoming Action
The SPU men take a break from competition before resuming action at MSU Billings on Oct. 30. The next home game is Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. versus Simon Fraser.