SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific University men's soccer team closes out the first half of conference play this Saturday when they host Saint Martin's University for a match at 7 p.m. 
 
QUOTABLE 
"It's another big week for the team with the bye on Thursday. It's great to have a couple of extra days to prepare and get guys healthy. I loved the character we showed to come back against Billings on Saturday, and that drive and determination need to be there again on Saturday. To be successful, you need to be able to stack performances and wins over multiple games. This is a great opportunity to get some momentum rolling in the second half of the season. When we are at our best, we stay true to our way of playing, and I'm confident that you will see a team on Saturday that play doesn't shy away from our identity." – head coach Kevin Sakuda. 
 
GNAC ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
The Great Northwest Athletic Conference announced its men's soccer All-Academic Team on Wednesday afternoon, featuring nine Seattle Pacific men's soccer student-athletes led by Tyler Speer's 4.0 and fourth selection to the team.
 
Speer led the way with four selections to the GNAC All-Academic team. Donovahn Allen, Judah Johnston, and Matthew Samson all made their third appearance on the list. Earning a spot on the team for the first time were Brady Fendrich, Jackson Goode, Aaron Stapleton, Connor Tollan, and Cameron Yriondo.  
 
HOW THEY STACK UP
SPU moved to 2-2-1 in GNAC play. They're own third in the conference with seven points. The Falcons trail Western Oregon and Simon Fraser who are tied for first with 13 points each. 
 
STANDOUT STATISTICS
Orlando Erazo and Raymundo Mendez are tied with six goals each. They're in a four-way tie for third-most in the conference. Yriondo has been the team's leading assist man. He's got three in 2023, tied for sixth most in the GNAC.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Falcons split two matches last weekend. The weekend started when SPU dropped a home match to Simon Fraser. Goode scored a creative goal for the Falcons, but it wasn't enough in that match. 
 
Last Saturday, the Falcons hit the road to take on MSU Billings. Three second-half goals and a shutout over the final 45 minutes led to a 3-1 victory for SPU. Mendez, Yriondo, and Erazo scored for the Falcons, while keeper Cam Welty got the win. 
 
ABOUT THE SAINTS 
The Saints are 3-5-2 in 2023, with a 1-3-1 conference record. They enter the weekend tied for fifth in the conference with Western Washington. Saint Martin's has allowed 1.90 goals per game while scoring just under a goal per game. Arjun Gill, Xander Koenig, and Diego Andrade are tied for the team-high with two goals each. Nick Mueller has started 10 games in goal has made 56 saves and owns a save percentage of .778.