Men’s Soccer Seattle Pacific University Dan Lepse, Assistant AD/SID ● (206) 281-2741 ● [email protected] ● Fax: (206) 281-2266 April 20, 2021 Falcons Visit SMU, then host Tacoma Defiance 2020-21 Schedule & Results SPU seeks to avenge setback to Saints on Wednesday, back at Interbay on May 1 ( 2-1-0 ) Mar. 24 Saint Martin’s L 1–2 Wednesday, April 21 -- Seattle Pacific at Saint Martin’s Mar. 27 Pacific Lutheran W 3–1 3:00 p.m. PDT, Saints Field, Lacey, Wash. (spectators not allowed) Apr. 10 Puget Sound W ot 3–2 • Webcast: https://www.youtube.com/c/SMUAthleticsYT Apr. 21 at Saint Martin’s 3:00 pm • LiveStats: https://smusaints.com/sidearmstats/msoc/summary May 1 Tacoma Defiance (exhibition) 12:00 pm May 8 Western Washington 5:30 pm Saturday, May 1 -- Tacoma Defiance at Seattle Pacific (exhibition) May 15 at Western Washington 1:00 pm 12:00 p.m. PDT, Interbay Stadium, Seattle, Wash. (spectators not allowed) (Pacific Daylight Times listed for all games) • Webcast: https://www.youtube.com/user/SPUsports • LiveStats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/spu/msoc/ Notable • While games may still be added to the schedule (and A chance to avenge its lone loss is available for the Seattle Pacific men’s soccer team, others could be postponed or cancelled), SPU will likely which returns to action for the first time in over a week. The Falcons (2-1-0) make the play its fewest games ever. Only twice have the Falcons short trip south to Lacey, Washington to play at Saint Martin’s (2-5-1) on Wednesday, April played less than 10 men’s soccer games and that was 21. Kick-off is 3 p.m. at Saints Field. SMU won this year’s first meeting, 2-1, on an 89th- the first two years with they played eight, going 0-7-1 in minute goal. The Falcons then host an exhibition versus the Tacoma Defiance of the USL 1968 and 1-7-0 in 1969. on Saturday, May 1 at noon. Spectators are not permitted at Interbay Stadium. • The Falcons implemented 15 unique lineups in 17 Falcons Fodder: SPU implemented a different lineup in its three games, including games last season (2019) and a trio of defenders were an entirely different starting 11 in each of the two games. Ten players made their SPU the only players to start every outing (Nik Reierson, starting debut on March 27 with Titus Grant being the only veteran in that lineup. Grant Travis Swallow & Ed Weise). produced the game-winning goal in that contest on a 54th-minute penalty kick ... Tyler Speer, who netted a goal in each half on March 27 to lead SPU to a 3-1 home victory over Falcons Fast Facts Pacific Lutheran, received the GNAC men’s soccer Offensive Player of the Week award on Mar. 29. Those were the first two goals of Speer’s collegiate career and they came in Affiliation: NCAA Division II his inaugural starting assignment for the Falcons. He scored on both of his shot attempts. Conference: Great Northwest Athletic Conference Coach/Record: Mark Collings, 13th year / 128-67-31 Super Sam: Senior midfielder Sam Malloch is tied for team honors with two goals this season. But it’s how those goals were scored that is most impressive. He finished a fabulous 2019 Record: 7-9-1 (6-6-0 GNAC, 3rd) 16th-minute free kick in the March 24 season opener with Saint Martin’s. Malloch spotted Starters Returning / Lost: 9 / 2 the ball 26 yards from the goal and sent a low strike inside the left post, out of reach from NCAA Tournament Appearances: 35 the diving goalkeeper. His second score ended the April 10 home clash with Puget Sound, Last Postseason: 2015 (tied 1-1 vs CSUDH, lost 3-2 pk) a golden goal 33 seconds into overtime. Malloch’s two goals came on just three shots this NCAA Championships (5): 1978, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1993 season and all of his attempts have been on frame. He has six career goals and 10 assists. Throw-In: The Falcons are outscoring opponents by a 7-5 margin on the strength of a 51-30 Returning Falcons Career Totals advantage in the total shots category. Alex Mejia tops SPU with seven shots this season. Player GP–GS Goals Assists Points Titus Grant 47–34 24 15 63 Abbreviated Schedule: The Great Northwest Athletic Conference announced Jan. 8 Alex Mejia 50–36 10 6 26 that there would not be a league season so the Falcons fended for themselves in finding Alden Massey 38–29 8 7 23 opponents. SPU will likely play fewer games than in any of its previous 52 seasons, with Sam Malloch 53–43 6 10 22 the least being eight games in both 1968 and 1969. There are currently six counting games Travis Swallow 49–38 3 3 9 scheduled, four of them at home and two on the road, along with a May 1 home exhibition Ed Weise 38–36 3 2 8 versus the Tacoma Defiance of the USL. There may be additional games added with a Jake Ferry 27–6 3 2 8 possibility of games being postponed or cancelled if COVID issues arise. Nik Reierson 55–45 2 2 6 2020-21 Season Preview: Nine starters return from last season’s team that won its final Tyler Speer 8–1 2 0 4 four games, including five of the top-six point producers. Headlining the list of returnees Jose Benavides 50–36 1 1 3 is first-team All-GNAC forward Titus Grant. The senior forward led the squad with nine Aidan Chaparro 34–16 0 1 1 goals in 2019 and also topped the team with seven assists for a 25-point total. Also back Jordan Greenshield 14–4 0 1 1 is senior Alex Mejia, who netted four goals last season, senior Sam Malloch (2 goals/6 assists), junior Alden Massey (2/4) and junior Ed Weise (2/1). A trio of starters return Player GP–GS Minutes Goals GAA SHO on the backline in honorable mention All-GNAC selections Nik Reierson and Travis Lars Helleren 28–28 2388:52 52 1.96 2 Swallow along with Weise. That returning talent is bolstered by nine newcomers. Seven Cam Welty 2–0 16:35 1 5.43 0 incoming freshmen are joined by transfers Owen Gortner (Loyola Marymount) and Cade Cooke (Everett CC). Junior Lars Helleren is back with 26 goalkeeper starts to his credit. SPU Men’s Soccer (April 20, 2021) Page 2-2 This Week’s Opponents: 2019 GNAC Standings Saint Martin’s (2-5-1) -- The Saints suffered a pair of 1-0 losses in their last two outings, (FINAL) GNAC Pts. Overall most recently an overtime setback at Western Washington on April 14. One of their two 1. Western Washington 10–1–1 31 13–5–1 wins came at Seattle Pacific, on March 24. That 2-1 victory came via Stephen Murray’s 2. Simon Fraser 8–3–1 25 11–4–1 goalmouth put-back off a goalkeeper save with 95 seconds left to play. Arjun Gill and 3. Seattle Pacific 6–6–0 18 7–9–1 Caden Martin pace the Saints with two goals apiece while David Settle tops the team with 4. Montana State Billings 5–6–1 16 8–9–2 three assists. Goalkeeper Hunter Askland has a 1.86 goals against average. The Saints 5. Saint Martin’s 4–7–1 13 9–8–2 top returning scorer is senior forward Jason Fairhurst, who compiled five goals and five 6. Concordia-Portland 4–8–0 12 7–10–0 assists in 2019. The Falcons lead the all-time series 21-5-1 and swept both matchups 7. Northwest Nazarene 3–9–0 9 7–11–0 with SMU in 2019. SPU won the first meeting 3-1 on Oct. 24, 2019 in Lacey behind two goals and an assist from Titus Grant. He had a goal and assist in the rematch, on Nov. 9 in Seattle, that the Falcons won 3-2. Tacoma Defiance (0-0-0) -- The Defiance are the USL Championship affiliate of Seattle Sounders FC. They begin 2021 regular-season play on May 9 at LA Galaxy II. Tacoma had a 4-2-10 record last season. Wade Webber was promoted to head coach in February after three years as an assistant with the Defiance. He is a former longtime player from the Sounders USL era who made 53 MLS appearance for Dallas and Miami from 1997-99. Forward Alex Diaz scored six goals to lead Tacoma’s attack in 2020. Returning goalkeeper Christian Herrera had six shutouts and a 1.80 goals against average last year. SPU and the Defiance have never played before. Coach Collings: Mark Collings is in his 13th season as head coach at his alma mater. He has directed Seattle Pacific to a 128-67- 31 record, two GNAC championships and a stretch of five consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament berths from 2011-15. His coaching highlights include school-record streaks of 13 consecutive victories and 15 games unbeaten established in 2014 along with absorbing the fewest losses in a campaign with just one in 2015 (14-1-4). Collings registered his 100th coaching victory with the Falcons on Oct. 28, 2016. He is the third head coach in the 53-year history of SPU men’s soccer. Collings collected his third GNAC Coach of the Year award in 2015 (also 2010 & 2014).