THIS WEEK'S MEN'S SOCCER SCHEDULE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
(#17) Seattle Pacific at Hawaii Hilo
5:30 p.m. PDT, Paiea Stadium, Keaau, Hawaii
     • Webcast (pay site):  www.crowdcast.io/e/MenSoccerUHHiloSeattlePacificSept22at230/register 
     • LiveStats for both games:  http://hiloathletics.com/sidearmstats/msoc
 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
(#17) Seattle Pacific at Chaminade
6:30 p.m. PDT, Saint Louis Field, Honolulu, Hawaii
     • Webcast:  https://portal.stretchinternet.com/chaminade/ 
     • LiveStats:  https://goswords.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary
 
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
(#17) Seattle Pacific at Hawaii Pacific
8:00 p.m. PDT, Waipio Stadium, Waipahu, Hawaii
     • Webcast (pay site):  https://portal.stretchinternet.com/hpusharks/ 
     • LiveStats:  https://hpusharks.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary
 
With three games in six days, it certainly won't be a vacation. But the Seattle Pacific men's soccer team travels to Hawaii for the first time in program history, hoping for success in the sunshine. The 17th-ranked Falcons (3-1-0) visit Hawaii Hilo (1-1-0) on Wednesday, Sept. 22 for a 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time (2:30 p.m. HST) matchup. On Saturday, Sept. 25 at 6:30 p.m. Pacific SPU travels to Honolulu for a clash with Chaminade (1-1-0). The Falcons close out the trip at Hawaii Pacific (2-2-0) on Monday, Sept. 27 at 8:00 p.m. PDT. The Great Northwest Athletic Conference season and NCAA Division II Tournament that were cancelled last year will be contested this fall.
 
Player of the Week
Alex Mejia, who continued his torrid goal-per-game pace with a score in both SPU home contests last week, received the GNAC men's soccer Offensive Player of the Week award Monday. The senior forward found the back of the net on a firm header in the 66th minute of a 2-0 shutout of 22nd-ranked Regis on Sept. 16. Mejia opened the scoring in the 35th minute on Sept. 18 with a perfectly placed free kick, steering the ball into the top-left corner from four yards outside the box. The 11th-ranked Falcons (3-1-0) lost that game, 3-2, in overtime to Colorado School of Mines, which scored three unanswered goals after the 78th minute. Two of those were short-handed scores, including the golden goal 39 seconds into overtime. Mejia currently leads all GNAC players with four goals despite playing two fewer games than the trio of individuals tied for second.

ALEX MEJIA INTERVIEW

Throw-Ins
• Defenders Ed Weise and Evan Aune have been on the field for all 368 minutes this season.
 
• Alex Mejia (4), Titus Grant (2) and Alden Massey (1) combined to account for all seven SPU goals.
 
• Goalkeeper Lars Helleren had a 291-minute scoreless streak, the longest of his career, snapped on Sept. 18.
 
• Two players have made their debut in an SPU uniform this season: Demian Alvarez and Aaron Stapleton.
 
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 returns for his fourth season between the posts.
 
This Week's Opponents
Hawaii-Hilo (1-1-0, 0-0-0 PacWest) -- The Vulcans opened the season with a 2-1 overtime win at Chaminade (Sept. 16) before losing 1-0 at Hawaii Pacific (Sept. 18). David Mayser accounted for both UHH goals and they were unassisted. Goalkeeper Michael Harre has a 0.98 goals against average. SPU won the only previous meeting, 5-0, on Sept. 15, 2018 in Seattle. Current Falcons senior Alden Massey had a hat trick in that game.
 
Chaminade (1-1-0, 0-0-0 PacWest) -- The Silverswords were 2-0 home victors over Hawaii Pacific (Sept. 4) before losing 1-0 in overtime to Hilo (Sept. 16). Chaminade's three goals came from a trio of different scorers; Brison Kim, Jamin Fonseca and Reilly Minigutti. Goalkeeper Brandon Yasue posted one shutout and hasn't yielded a goal this season in 135 minutes between the posts. Saturday marks the first ever meeting between Seattle Pacific and Chaminade.
 
Hawaii Pacific (2-2-0, 0-0-0 PacWest) -- After losing their first two games, the Sharks won their last two capped by a 1-0 home win over Hawaii Hilo (Sept. 18). Sebastian Navarro and Makana Srivongsana each have one goal to account for the HPU scoring. Goalkeeper Jeremy Zielinski compiled two shutouts and a 1.50 goals against average. The Falcons won all four previous meetings versus HPU by a combined 9-1 tally. They were 2-1 in the last matchup on Sept. 13, 2018 in Seattle. Titus Grant and Jake Ferry scored for SPU.
 
 

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.
 
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 return to Seattle to start GNAC play, hosting Montana State Billings on Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. to begin a three-game Interbay Stadium homestand.