HONOLULU, Hawaii – Titus Grant scored the first goal and assisted on the second Saturday, lifting 17th-ranked Seattle Pacific to a 4-0 men's soccer victory over Chaminade on the second leg of a three-game road trip in Hawaii.
 
The non-conference win at Saint Louis Field kept the Falcons (5-1-0) perfect away from home, having won all four outings. They were 3-2 overtime victors at Hawaii Hilo on Wednesday.
 
Grant's opening salvo, at 13:54, provided a 1-0 lead SPU sustained into halftime. The senior forward received a through ball in the left side of the box from Aidan Thrall and directed a first-time, left-footer from a sharp angle inside the far post.
 
"Titus has been fantastic," exclaimed SPU interim head coach Kevin Sakuda. "He has an ability to stretch the game and stretch teams. He's providing quality service in those wide spaces, and then he takes advantage of the moments he gets when it's his turn to score."

TITUS GRANT GOAL

The game's initial score marked the third goal of the season for Grant and the 27th of his career. He registered his 11th game-winning goal as a Falcon.
 
The 1-0 lead held up into halftime because senior goalkeeper Lars Helleren stopped a penalty kick with 24 seconds left in the first period.
 
A foul was whistled on Donovahn Allen inside the top edge of the box, giving the Silverswords a free attempt from the 12-yard spot. Mitchell Monteiro sent a shot toward the right post, but Helleren dove to his left to snare the ball and squelch the prime scoring opportunity.
 
"That was huge. Timing-wise, to give up a goal right before the half would have been difficult," Sakuda said. "We rely on him a lot and Lars has stepped up big all year long. He's a great goalkeeper, and he showed it today with a huge save."
 
Helleren finished with two saves en route to his third shutout of the season and the fifth clean sheet of his career.
 
LARS HELLEREN PENALTY KICK SAVE

Clay Ah Soon made four saves and a defender cleared an attempt off the goal line for Chaminade (2-2-0), which was outshot by a 15-12 margin. The Falcons compiled a wider margin, 8-2, in shots directly on frame.
 
Defender Nik Reierson doubled SPU's lead five minutes after halftime. Grant delivered a low pass from the left side that Reierson raced to reach and slot inside the right post for his first score of the season. That was his third career goal.
 
Alex Mejia tallied his league-leading sixth goal in as many games, putting the Falcons up 3-0 at 68:46. The shot was a wonderful first-time volley near the top of the box from the senior forward from Seattle's Roosevelt High School. His 16-yard attempt, off a feed from Aidan Chaparro, looped over the leaping goalkeeper and snuck under the crossbar.
 
A long, dribbling breakaway by Alden Massey at 87:28 forged the final 4-0 score. Teammate Judah Johnston floated a ball from deep in the Falcons defensive half that a defender was unable to control. Massey intercepted the ball at the 50 and dribbled into the box before beating the onrushing goalkeeper to the right side for the easy tap-in.
 
Massey is tied with Grant for second on the team with three goals apiece. He has 13 goals during his SPU career.
 
NEXT GAME
The Falcons men conclude their three-game trip to the islands by visiting Waipahu for a matchup with Hawaii Pacific on Monday at 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time. That will be their third outing in less than a week on the current road trip.
 
"For us, getting our bodies right is important because playing three games in six days is always difficult," said Sakuda. "We've talked all year long about being better than we were yesterday and that is our focus. They've embraced that."
 
Seattle Pacific returns home to start Great Northwest Athletic Conference play versus Montana State Billings on Saturday, Oct. 2. Kick-off is 7:00 p.m. at Interbay Stadium.
 
NCAA MEN'S SOCCER
Saturday, September 25, 2021
Saint Louis Field / Honolulu, Hawaii
 
#17 Seattle Pacific 4, at Chaminade 0
 
Scoring – 1, SPU, Titus Grant (Aidan Thrall), 13:54; 2, SPU, Nik Reierson (Titus Grant), 50:15; 3, SPU, Alex Mejia (Aidan Chaparro), 68:46; 4, SPU, Alden Massey (unassisted), 87:28.
 
                     1   2  --  TOTAL
Seattle Pacific      1   3  --    4
Chaminade            0   0  --    0
 
Shots – SPU 15, CU 12.
Shots on Goal – SPU 8, CU 2.
Saves – SPU 2 (Lars Helleren), CU 4 (Clay Ah Soon).
Corner Kicks – SPU 4, CU 5.
Fouls – SPU 20, CU 10.
Offsides – SPU 4, CU 1.
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 5-1-0
Chaminade 2-2-0
 
Next SPU Men's Soccer Game
Seattle Pacific at Hawaii Pacific
Monday, September 27, 8:00 p.m. PDT
Waipio Stadium / Waipahu, Hawaii