SEATTLE – Alex Mejia registered eighth-ranked Seattle Pacific's first hat trick in three seasons, getting his third goal seven minutes after halftime Saturday to spark a 6-0 Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's soccer victory over Saint Martin's at Interbay Stadium.
 
Mejia finished with three goals and an assist, picked up his third game-winning goal this season and pushed his career total to 18 goals.
 
The Falcons (9-1-0) posted their sixth straight win and improved their perfect league ledger to 3-0-0. They are 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.
 
After going scoreless to stop a personal six-game streak in Thursday's 2-1 home win over Northwest Nazarene, Mejia got back in the scoring column in a big way Saturday.
 
The senior forward from Seattle's Roosevelt High School tallied two goals inside the opening 12 minutes. He scored 8-minutes, 57-seconds into the contest after stealing the ball from the goalkeeper and taking advantage of the open net to put SPU on the board. Mejia doubled that margin just over two minutes later, spinning and shooting from 22 yards out.
 
ALEX MEJIA 1ST GOAL

A 24th-minute, first-time strike by Alden Massey from a Tyler Speer corner kick provided a 3-0 margin the Falcons would take into halftime.
 
Massey found the goal for the sixth time in the last seven outings. He ranks second on the squad with six goals and increased his career total to 16 scores.
 
"It's huge to have two guys who can score like that," said SPU interim head coach Kevin Sakuda. "In some ways they push each other, there's a little bit of healthy competition there which has been great. Each day we see one or both of them stepping up and making plays when we need it."
 
Less than seven minutes into the second half Mejia scored on a six-yard header, completing SPU's first three-goal game since Oct. 13, 2018 when current teammate Titus Grant did the trick. Mejia has scored 11 times to lead all GNAC players and secure the first double-digit scoring season by a Falcon since Grant netted 13 goals in 2018.
 
"Alex has just been so consistent all year, just finding ways to score goals in different ways," Sakuda said. "That's what makes him so dangerous, he can score with his head and he can strike a ball. It was a really good performance for him."
 
A diving header nearly produced Mejia's fourth goal, but it set up the Falcons fifth score instead. Saints goalkeeper Hunter Askland blocked Mejia's attempt, but the ball rebounded out to the left side of the goal where Judah Johnston quickly deposited it into the goal at 72:42.
 
"I'm just happy. It's been a long time working for this moment and it finally came. With our system my job is to score," exclaimed Mejia, who thought he finished his final attempt.
 
"I felt terrible when the fourth one didn't go in. That's the mentality you have to have, otherwise you won't score a lot. I thought it was in. When I sat up and saw that Judah putting it in, I didn't know what happened. I'll have to watch the film."
 
The first career goal by sophomore defender Joey Van Horn capped the scoring with 1:23 remaining. He followed up on a ball bobbled by the goalkeeper and tapped it in from the goalmouth.
 
Senior goalkeeper Lars Helleren stopped two shots en route to his fourth shutout of the season and the sixth of his career.
 
Askland made four saves before being replaced in the 75th minute by Saints reserve goalkeeper Bryce Porter. SPU doubled the visitors in the shots category, 18-9.
 
TYLER SPEER INTERVIEW

SCORING SUMMARY
1 -- As the goalkeeper was trying to shield a ball heading toward the endline just outside the box, Mejia stole the ball and headed into the left side of the box. Mejia dribbled until finding a shooting lane, then scored from eight yards out at 8:57.
 
2 -- Tyler Speer fed a pass to Alex Mejia outside the top-right of the box. Mejia spun to his left before firing a 22-yard blast into the left side of the goal at 11:10.
 
3 -- Alden Massey first-timed a left-side corner kick from Tyler Speer, directing it inside the left post from 14 yards out at 23:11.
 
4 -- Nik Reierson dribbled around the right flank before serving a cross toward the far post. From the top of the 6-yard box, Alex Mejia rose to head the ball into the right side of the goal at 51:22.
 
5 -- A diving header by SPU's Alex Mejia was blocked by goalkeeper Hunter Askland and Judah Johnston was there near the left post to quickly knock in the rebound from four yards.
 
6 -- Musa Ali sent a shot from the left side of the box that was stopped, but not collected, by reserve goalkeeper Bryce Porter. Joey Van Horn was there to poke in the bobble at 88:37.
 
NEXT GAME
The Seattle Pacific men hit the road for their next three games, beginning Thursday at Western Washington. Kick-off is 4:00 p.m. at Harrington Field in Bellingham.
 
The Falcons visit Simon Fraser on Oct. 16 and Montana State Billings on Oct. 30.
 
NCAA MEN'S SOCCER
Saturday, October 9, 2021
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.
 
at (#8) Seattle Pacific 6, Saint Martin's 0
 
Scoring – 1, SPU, Alex Mejia (unassisted), 8:57; 2, SPU, Mejia (Tyler Speer), 11:10; 3, SPU, Alden Massey (Tyler Speer), 23:11; 4, SPU, Mejia (Nik Reierson), 51:22; 5, SPU, Judah Johnston (Mejia), 72:42; 6, SPU, Joey Van Horn (Musa Ali), 88:37.
 
                        1   2  --  TOTAL
Saint Martin's          0   0  --    0
Seattle Pacific         3   3  --    6
 
Shots – SMU 9, SPU 18.
Shots on Goal – SMU 2, SPU 10.
Saves – SMU 4 (Hunter Askland 4, Bryce Porter 0), SPU 2 (Lars Helleren).
Corner Kicks – SMU 4, SPU 4.
Fouls – SMU 10, SPU 11.
Offsides – SMU 2, SPU 4.
 
Records
Saint Martin's 1-9-0, 0-4-0 GNAC
Seattle Pacific 9-1-0, 3-0-0 GNAC
 
Next SPU Men's Soccer Game
Seattle Pacific at Western Washington
Thursday, October 14, 4:00 p.m. PDT
Harrington Field / Bellingham, Wash.