WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24
Saint Martin's at Seattle Pacific
6:00 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash. (spectators not allowed)
 
SATURDAY, MARCH 27
Pacific Lutheran at Seattle Pacific
4:00 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash. (spectators not allowed)
 
• Webcast for Both Games:  https://www.youtube.com/user/SPUsports
• LiveStats for Both Games:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/spu/msoc/
 
For the first time in 16 months, the Seattle Pacific men's soccer teams will compete in a counting game. The Falcons host Saint Martin's on Wednesday, March 24 for a 6 p.m. contest at Interbay Stadium. That will put an end to a pandemic-forced 496-day hiatus from competition, dating to a 1-0 win at Northwest Nazarene on Nov. 16, 2019. No lengthy break before SPU's next game, which is just three days later, on Saturday, March 27, when Pacific Lutheran visits for a 4 p.m. clash. Spectators aren't permitted to attend Falcons home games. This is the 53rd season of men's soccer for SPU, which began playing in 1968. 
 
Quoting Coach Mark  Collings
"We're really excited to see the guys play and compete. There's a lot to be said for how much these kids have sacrificed and how hard they've worked. People in the world are certainly dealing with bigger things than playing soccer, but this has been a bit of a grind for our guys with the quarantining and being on campus, but not being able to go to in-person classes. Soccer has been one of the few normal things for them, so to now get to compete against somebody else is a huge opportunity and we're not taking it lightly. My coaching staff has done a really tremendous job of keeping these guys going and helping them to improve during this time We're just so appreciative of all the work put in by our athletic staff, including our athletic trainer Bianca (Mendez)."
 
Opening Act
The Falcons lost just three of their last 15 season openers, with a 10-3-2 mark during that span. They tied Sonoma State 1-1 in the 2019 lid-lifter. SPU boasts a 33-10-9 record in all-time season-opening contests.
 
TRAVIS SWALLOW INTERVIEW
 
Abbreviated Schedule
The Great Northwest Athletic Conference announced Jan. 8 that there would not be a league season so the Falcons fended for themselves in finding opponents. SPU will likely play fewer games than in any of its previous 52 seasons, with the least being eight games in both 1968 and 1969. There are currently six counting games scheduled, four of them at home and two on the road, along with an April 17 home exhibition versus the Tacoma Defiance of the USL. There may be additional games added with a possibility of games being postponed or cancelled if COVID issues arise.

2020-21 Season Preview
Nine starters return from last season's team that won its final four games, including five of the top six point producers. Headlining the list of returnees is first-team All-GNAC forward Titus Grant. The senior forward led the squad with nine goals in 2019 and also topped the team with seven assists for a 25-point total. Also back is senior Alex Mejia, who netted four goals last season, senior Sam Malloch (2 goals/6 assists), junior Alden Massey (2/4) and junior Ed Weise (2/1). A trio of starters return on the backline in honorable mention All-GNAC selections Nik Reierson and Travis Swallow along with Weise. The pool of returning talent is bolstered by nine newcomers. Seven incoming freshmen are joined by transfers Owen Gortner (Loyola Marymount) and Cade Cooke (Everett CC). Junior Lars Helleren is back with 26 goalkeeper starts to his credit.
 
Notable
• While games will likely be added to the schedule (and others could be postponed or cancelled), SPU might play its fewest games ever. Only twice have the Falcons played fewer than 10 men's soccer games and that was the first two years with they played eight, going 0-7-1 in 1968 and 1-7-0 in 1969.
 
• The Falcons implemented 15 unique lineups in 17 games last season (2019) and a trio of defenders were the only players to start every outing (Nik Reierson, Travis Swallow & Ed Weise).
 
• 20 different Falcons drew at least one start last season with six of them making collegiate starting debuts.

 

2019 Season Review
The Falcons won their final four games to vault into third place in the final GNAC standings with a 6-6-0 record. They compiled a 7-9-1 overall mark against a schedule ranked among the nation's most difficult. Four losses came against teams ranked in the final poll and two others were ranked when they met. SPU featured first-team All-GNAC forward Titus Grant, who ranked second among GNAC players in both goals (9) and points (25) and was third in assists (7). Four Falcons were honorable mention All-GNAC picks: Sam Malloch, Nik Reierson, Eduardo Calvo-Salinas and Travis Swallow.
 
This Week's Opponents
Saint Martin's (0-1-1) -- The Saints have two games under their belt, both coming at home versus Northwest Nazarene. Jason Aragon netted an unassisted goal in the 48th minute for Saint Martin's in a 1-1 draw on Mar. 4 and NNU won the rematch, 2-0 on Mar. 6. The Saints top returning scorer is senior forward Jason Fairhurst, who compiled five goals and five assists in 2019. The Falcons lead the all-time series 21-4-1 and swept both matchups with Saint Martin's in 2019. SPU won the first meeting 3-1 on Oct. 24, 2019 in Lacey, Wash. behind two goals and an assist from Titus Grant. He had a goal and assist in the rematch, on Nov. 9 in Seattle, that the Falcons won 3-2.
 
Pacific Lutheran (8-2-0) -- The Lutes have already played 10 games and they host Puget Sound on Mar. 24 before visiting Seattle. PLU won its last seven games, four of them by shutout. Goalkeeper Nicholas Gaston started seven games, registering four clean sheets and a 0.71 goals against average. Offensively, Archie Caldwell leads the attack with eight points earned on three goals and two assists. Five other Lutes have two goals to their credit and six have a pair of assists. Saturday marks the first counting game between SPU and Pacific Lutheran since Oct. 15, 2003 when the Falcons were 3-2 overtime victors in Seattle. The Falcons own a 26-1-0 lead in the all-time series, including victories in each of the last nine meetings. The lone PLU win was a 3-1 road decision on Oct. 11, 1989 when both were members of the Northwest Collegiate Soccer Conference.
 
Shot Stoppers
In 2019, SPU had 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 school record of 14 saves was established by Yoder, who did it twice in 1972. Helleren returns for his junior season after leading the Falcons with 47 saves and a 1.47 goals against average.
 
 

Coach Collings
Mark Collings enters his 13th season as head coach at his alma mater. He has directed Seattle Pacific to a 126-66-31 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 53-year history of SPU men's soccer. Collings collected his third GNAC Coach of the Year award in 2015 (also 2010 & 2014). He 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.