• Complete Release (pdf) | • NCAA West Region webpage
• VIDEO: Danny Olivas | • Printable NCAA bracket (pdf)NCAA DIVISION II MEN'S SOCCER TOURNAMENTWest/South Central Super RegionalRegional Championships & Quarterfinals at Interbay Stadium; Seattle, Wash.
• LiveStats for all tournament games in Seattle: http://www.sidearmstats.com/spu/msoc/ THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20 --South Central Region Championship
(2) Colorado Mesa vs. (1) St. Edward's, 4:00 p.m. PST
West Region Championship
(3) Cal State L.A. vs. (1) Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22 –NCAA Quarterfinal
South Central champion vs. West Region champion, 7:00 p.m. PST
Four of the country's finest NCAA Division II men's soccer teams, all ranked among the top 14, converge on Seattle Pacific's Interbay Stadium this week to battle for a single national semifinals berth. The fourth-ranked Falcons serve as hosts for the festivities that begin with a doubleheader on Thursday, Nov. 20. Top-seeded SPU (16-1-2) clashes with No. 3 seed Cal State L.A. (14-3-2) at 7 p.m. in the West Region championship game. They meet in the NCAA playoffs for the third time in the last four years. The winner meets the South Central Region champion that will be determined in Thursday's 4 p.m. opening game at Interbay between No. 1 seed St. Edward's (16-2-1) and No. 2 seed Colorado Mesa (16-3-1). The NCAA quarterfinal matchup of regional titlists is slated for Interbay Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m. with the victor earning a trip of Louisville, Ky. for the College Cup. St. Edward's is ranked eighth in the national coaches poll, Colorado Mesa is 11th and Cal State L.A. 14th.
Defensive DynamosExpect a low-scoring affair in Thursday's nightcap as Cal State L.A. is the nation's stingiest defense, allowing 0.41 goals per game with 12 shutouts. SPU counters with a unit that blanked 10 opponents, limiting them to 0.46 goals per contest to rank No. 3.
Ticket TalkTickets for NCAA Tournament games can be purchased at the gate on game day and are $7 for adults and $3 for students. Interbay Stadium is located just off the Dravus Street exit of 15th Avenue, at 3027 17th Ave. W., Seattle 98119. SPU students are admitted free. For more information please contact the SPU Ticket Office at:
(206) 281-2085.
SPU's NCAA HistoryThis is the fourth consecutive and 34th overall playoff berth for SPU, which has a 39-24-9 record in all-time postseason games. The Falcons have five national championships to their credit (1978, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1993). They reached the championship game on 10 occasions overall and were national semifinalists 14 times. Last year in La Jolla, Calif., SPU lost a 1-0 first-round decision to Chico State. The Falcons last served as postseason hosts in 2011 when they recorded a thrilling 2-1 overtime triumph over Cal State Dominquez Hills in the first round before falling 3-2 to Cal State L.A. in the regional final.
Tournament FormatThe NCAA Division II Tournament is a single-elimination playoff with 35 teams divided into four super regions. Eight regional champions will be determined during third-round games on Thursday and Friday. Two regional titlists are paired in quarterfinal games at every site, with the winners advancing to the national semifinals. The 2014 NCAA semifinals and championship game are scheduled for Dec. 4 and 6 at Frazier Stadium in Louisville, Ky. Defending West Region champion Simon Fraser and 2013 national titlist Southern New Hampshire have already been eliminated from this season's playoffs.
Last WeekSeattle Pacific advanced to the West Region championship game on the strength of a 2-1 victory over Northwest Nazarene on Saturday in Seattle.
Jordan Kollars opened the scoring in the 10th minute for SPU from a
Stephen MacDonald assist, but an NNU goal tied it 2:29 before halftime.
Danny Olivas got the game-winner on a penalty kick at 67:02.
GNAC AwardsMark Collings was honored as the 2014 GNAC Co-Coach of the Year and all 11 players from his starting lineup received all-conference recognition, four more than any other team. Goalkeeper
Cody Lang, forward
Stephen MacDonald and midfielder
Danny Olivas earned first-team accolades along with defenders
Davis Karaica and
Bryson Pavel. The duo of forward
Sean Russell and midfielder
Chaz Jenkins were named to the second team. The honorable mention list featured Falcon midfielders
Ian Adams and
Jordan Kollars and defenders
Jeffrey Collings and
Evan Robicheau.
Scouting Seattle Pacific (16-1-2, #1 seed West)Fourth-ranked SPU shut out 10 opponents this season behind goalkeeper
Cody Lang, who ranks No. 4 nationally with a 0.44 goals against average. The Falcons surrendered just nine goals in 19 games, and never more than one in any outing. They limited opponents to 181 shots (9.5 per game), including just 54 attempts directly on goal (2.8 per game). GNAC champion SPU outscored opponents by a 37-9 margin. Sophomore forward
Stephen MacDonald leads the attack with nine goals and eight assists while senior
Sean Russell and sophomore
Jordan Thompson chipped in five goals apiece. SPU's lone loss was a 1-0 decision on Oct. 30 at Northwest Nazarene.
Scouting Cal State L.A. (14-3-2)The 14th-ranked Golden Eagles lost just once in their last 13 games. They tied UC San Diego 1-1 in the opening round of the playoffs, advancing on a 5-4 advantage in the shootout. A 1-0 win over No. 2 seed Azusa Pacific sent CSULA into the regional final for the fifth time in the last nine years. The Eagles outscored opponents 35-8 paced by the six goals of Jordan Payne. Haili Tozar has five goals and 10 assists. Goalkeeper Mike Beigarten registered 12 shutouts and a 0.41 goals against average. Seattle Pacific owns a 6-5-2 series edge despite going 0-4-2 during the last six encounters. The teams had consecutive postseason meetings in 2001 and 2012. They tied 1-1 on Nov. 8, 2012 in Phoenix, Ariz. before CSULA advanced with a 5-4 tiebreaker edge.
Matt Merchant netted the Falcons goal in that game on a brilliant far post volley in the 42nd minute off a Cory McGuire corner kick. The Eagles were 3-2 victors on Nov. 12, 2011 at the NCAA West Region championship game in Seattle.
Scouting St. Edward's (16-2-1, #1 seed South Central)Hailing from Austin, Texas, the eighth-ranked Hilltoppers are making their second NCAA Tournament appearance and the first since 1999. They bring a 16-game unbeaten streak into the South Central final against UC Mesa, which marks their first playoff game after receiving byes in the first two rounds. The 15-goal, nine-assist production of Andrew Fox paces an SEU attack that outscores opponents 46-12. Goalkeeper Kevin Leib has eight shutouts and a 0.63 goals against average. Seattle Pacific won the only previous meeting, a 3-2 decision on Oct. 18, 2001 that was played in San Antonio, Texas.
Scouting Colorado Mesa (16-3-1, #2 seed South Central)The 11th-ranked Mavericks won 13 of their last 14 games, including a 1-0 home victory over Midwestern State in the South Central regional semifinal game on Sunday. They have outscored opponents 30-13 led by the 11 goals of Roy Abergil. Nestor Escobar tops the team with seven assists. The goalkeeping tandem of Micah Conrads and Brandyn Bumpas has combined for 12 shutouts and a 0.63 goals against average. Mesa won the only previous meeting, claiming a 2-1 overtime decision over Seattle Pacific on Sept. 13, 2010 in Grand Junction, Colo.
Coach CollingsSeventh-year coach
Mark Collings is the third head coach in the 47-year history of Seattle Pacific men's soccer. He has an 80-33-20 record with the Falcons, including a school-record run of 13 consecutive victories this season. Collings was named the 2014 conference Co-Coach of the Year after leading SPU to its first outright GNAC championship and a fourth straight playoff appearance. Collings led SPU to a 12-4-3 record in 2013, including a 14-game unbeaten streak, that was the longest such single-season stretch in school history before this year. A 10-1-3 GNAC record put SPU in second place. The Falcons lost 1-0 to Chico State in the first round of the playoffs. In 2012, Collings directed SPU to a 11-3-5 record and in 2011 a 14-4-2 record was capped by the first playoff appearance in five years. Collings was named the 2010 GNAC Co-Coach of the Year after leading SPU to a 10-6-2 record following records of 11-5-3 in 2009 and 6-10-3 in 2008. Collings replaced Cliff McCrath, who compiled a 512-190-87 mark in 38 seasons (1970-2007). Arnie Aizstrauts was 1-14-1 from 1968-69. The co-captain of SPU's 1998 Final Four team, Collings was a five-year assistant coach.
Record StreaksThe Falcons school-record winning streak was halted at 13 games by a 1-0 loss at Northwest Nazarene on Oct. 30. That was their only defeat. The NNU setback also stopped a program-record 15-game unbeaten streak that had eclipsed the mark of 14 games established in 2013. The 15 games without a loss also marked the best start to a season in SPU's 47-year history.
2014 PreviewEight starters returned for SPU, including first-team All-GNAC goalkeeper
Cody Lang. The sophomore shot-stopper registered eight shutouts and a 0.76 goals against average in 2013. Returning players accounted for 22 of the team's 29 goals last season, including four apiece from the trio of
Stephen MacDonald,
Bryson Pavel and
Sean Russell. Sophomore
Jordan Kollars was SPU's best playmaker with five assists while junior
Danny Olivas was tops in total points with 10 on three goals and four assists. Pavel was a first-team All-GNAC defender as was sophomore
Davis Karaica. Russell and Olivas were honorable mention picks. The impressive list of returnees is bolstered by six standout freshmen, sophomore midfielder
Keenan dePinna, who transferred from Oregon State, and red-shirt freshman
Gabe Kellum from France.
2013 ReviewThe SPU men registered a 12-4-3 overall record in 2013 and placed second in the GNAC standings with a 10-1-3 mark. They lost 1-0 against Chico State in the opening round of the playoffs in La Jolla, Calif.