SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific University men's soccer team makes two tough road trips this weekend for Great Northwest Athletic Conferences matches. On Thursday, the Falcons take on Montana State University Billings at 5 p.m. before playing #14 Western Oregon on Saturday at 11 a.m.
QUOTABLE
"After a bye last weekend, the guys are hungry to compete again and are excited to go on the road against two quality opponents," head coach Kevin Sakuda said. "The boys have played some great soccer recently and although we were disappointed in a couple of results, the belief and hard work in this group hasn't wavered. We know that if we continue to perform well and do a better job of executing in key moments, we can be a top team in this league."
LAST TIME OUT
The Falcons hosted Simon Fraser last Thursday evening at Interbay Soccer Stadium. The Falcons led most of the match, but two late goals from the Red Leafs gave them the game.
The Falcons opened the match on the attack in the first half. SPU broke a scoreless tie in the 15th minute. Connor Tollan gathered a cross before flicking it onto Raymundo Mendez. Mendez tapped the ball in from four yards out to put the Falcons up 1-0. It was his 9th goal of the 2024 season.
FALCONS SCORING IT WELL
SPU has played well offensively in 2024. The Falcons have netted 31 goals this season. It's the second-best total in the GNAC. They've averaged 2.21 goals per game. Mendez leads the team with nine goals and 21 points. Tollan has five goals and seven assists, the most on the team.
THE PIZZA MAN COMES THROUGH
Pierluca Carnovale has started 14 matches in goal for the Falcons this season. He's made 42 saves and owns a 6-5-3 record in goal for SPU. Carnovale has four shutouts to his name in 2024.
WHERE THEY SIT
SPU owns 11 points in the GNAC standings. Their 3-3-2 in the conference, and are in fifth place. The Falcons are three points out of third-place MSU Billings. The two will meet on Thursday evening.
ABOUT MSU BILLINGS
The Yellowjackets enter the weekend in third place in the GNAC standings with 14 points. They are 4-2-2 in conference play and have gone 5-4-5 overall. MSUB has scored 26 goals this season while holding opponents to 18 goals. The Yellowjackets have a trio of players that have combined for 17 goals and 36 points. So Nagano leads the team with nine goals this season. Bjarne Fedkenhauer and Sam Kemmer have scored four goals each. Fred Reiter has been solid in goal with four shutouts in eight starts for MSUB.
ABOUT WESTERN OREGON
The Wolves have put together a strong 2024 season. They lead the GNAC with 24 points and are 8-1 in conference play. WOU has scored a GNAC-best 41 goals this season while allowing just 16 goals to opponents. 10 players have scored multiple goals for the Wolves this season. Yahir Ocampo Navarro leads the group with seven goals. He's added four assists and a team-best 18 points. Andre Schlaefi has made 15 starts in goal for the Wolves and is 12-2-1 with four shutouts.
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