SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2
Montana State Billings at (#16) Seattle Pacific
7:00 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
 
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7
Northwest Nazarene at (#16) Seattle Pacific
7:00 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9
Saint Martin's at (#16) Seattle Pacific
4:30 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
 
• Webcast for all three games:  https://www.youtube.com/user/SPUsports
• LiveStats for all three games:  https://spufalcons.comsidearmstats/msoc/
• Buy Tickets in Advance:  https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/spufalcons/6750
 
After playing five of its first seven games on the road, 16th-ranked Seattle Pacific starts Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's soccer play with a three-game homestand. The Falcons (6-1-0) bring a three-game winning streak into Saturday's, Oct. 2 clash with Montana State Billings. Kick-off is 7:00 p.m. at Interbay Stadium, the same time and venue as a Thursday, Oct. 7 matchup with Northwest Nazarene. Next Saturday, Oct. 9, Saint Martin's invades for a 4:30 p.m. encounter. The GNAC season and NCAA Division II Tournament that were cancelled last year will be contested this fall.
 
Hawaii Sweep
On Monday, the Falcons concluded a three-game, six-day trip to the islands. They return home with improved tans, sand in their toes and three wins. Alex Mejia netted a goal in each game while Alden Massey tallied two goals and an assist. SPU beat Hawaii Hilo 3-2 (Sept. 22), Chaminade 4-0 (Sept. 25) and Hawaii Pacific 2-1 (Sept. 27).
 
JOSE BENAVIDES INTERVIEW

Falcons Fast Facts
• SPU has its most wins through 7 games (6-1-0) since the 2014 team also had 6 en route to a 14-0-1 start.
 
• Alex Mejia leads the GNAC with 7 goals while Titus Grant and Alden Massey are tied for 2nd with 3 apiece.
 
• SPU tallied the first goal in 6 of 7 games this season and 4 of them came during the opening 20 minutes.
 
• The Falcons lead the league with 2.29 goals per game and no other team is averaging more than 1.50.
 
• On defense, SPU allows the fewest goals in the GNAC at 1.00 with nobody else lower than 1.50.
 
• 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.
 
Player of the Week
Senior Nik Reierson, who played stellar defense and also found joy on the offensive end of the field in two SPU road victories, received the GNAC men's soccer Defensive Player of the Week award on Monday. He scored for the first time this season, in the 51st minute of the Falcons 4-0 victory at Chaminade (Sept. 25). On the defensive end, Reierson helped limit the Silverswords to 12 shots with just two sent directly on goal. That sparked SPU's third shutout of the season. In a 3-2 overtime win at Hawaii Hilo (Sept. 22), Reierson played the entire game at his right outside back position. He has pushed forward to produce three goals and four assists during his collegiate career.
   
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.
 
Upcoming Opponents
Montana State Billings (2-3-1, 0-0-0 GNAC) -- The Yellowjackets had a five-game winless streak halted by a 5-2 win at South Dakota Mines in their last outing (Sept. 15). Halil Yilmaz leads all MSUB scorers with three goals while Jeremie Briquet provided three assists. Goalkeeper Georgios Theodoulidis has one shutout and a 1.55 goals against average.  SPU leads the all-time series 19-7-5 and won the most recent meeting 4-1 on Nov. 14, 2019 in Seattle in a game that featured two goals from Alex Mejia.
 
Northwest Nazarene (3-3-0, 0-0-0 GNAC) -- The Nighthawks have alternated a win followed by a loss all season. They lost their last game, 2-1, at West Texas A&M. Sebastian Cotrau tops the team with three goals and Nils Knosala has two. Goalkeeper Sawyer Price posted two shutouts and a 1.50 goals against average. The Falcons lead the series 19-3-6, including wins in the last three encounters.
 
Saint Martin's (1-5-0, 0-0-0 GNAC) -- The Saints lost their last three games and their lone win was a 2-1 home decision versus Chico State. Jason Fairhurst paces the attack with three goals. Primary goalkeeper Hunter Askland averages 3.40 saves and allows 3.60 goals per game. SPU lost just twice in the last 22 encounters with the Saints, The Falcons lead the all-time series 23-5-1. The teams split last season's matchups with the Saints winning 2-1 on March 24, 2019 in Seattle and SPU winning the rematch 3-1 on April 21 in Lacey.
 
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
Following the homestand, SPU plays three straight road games, visiting Western Washington (Oct. 14), Simon Fraser (Oct. 16) and MSU Billings (Oct. 30).