Box Score

NAMPA, Idaho – Coach Mark Collings uttered the term "unlucky" several times this season to describe his Seattle Pacific men's soccer team. Thankfully, he got to use the opposite expression Saturday.
 
Danny Olivas converted a penalty kick midway through the second half that proved to be the decisive goal as ninth-ranked SPU solidified its first-place position in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings with a 2-1 win over second-place Northwest Nazarene at Finkbeiner Park.
 
The defending champion Falcons (11-1-3) improved to 7-1-3 in league play and stretched their lead over NNU to four points. They have 24 points and will enter next week with at least a three-point cushion over the field, depending on what Simon Fraser (18 points) does at home tonight.
 
The first half was scoreless and fairly uneventful with the hosts compiling a slim 4-3 shot advantage.
 
That changed in a frenetic second half. SPU got on the scoreboard at 60:10 on an own goal by the Crusaders. Gabe Kellum was inside the 6-yard box with Jordan Kollars open for a pass, forcing an NNU defender into a desperate clearance that went into his own net.
 
The Falcons made it 2-0 at 68:09 after Ian Adams was taken down in the corner of the box. Olivas (Phoenix, Ariz.) calmly stepped up and nailed the penalty kick for his team-leading fifth goal of the year.
 
Collings lets his players sort out penalty kicks for themselves, allowing the first man willing to step forward to the 12-yard spot to take the kick.
 
"Danny stepped up and delivered one to the right side," Collings said. "To be honest, my confidence is always pretty high with whoever wants it. I feel like, if they have enough confidence to step up and take it, then that's good enough for me."
 
The Crusaders responded just over one minute later on a put-back goal by Michael Mollay at 69:16. Julio Castillo fired a shot that was deflected by SPU goalkeeper Cody Lang and rebounded to Mollay, who cut the deficit to 2-1.
 
NNU had a prime opportunity to equalize with 5:54 remaining after being awarded a penalty kick. But Castillo's free shot caromed off the crossbar and the Falcons held on for the win.
 
"We'll take it," said Collings. "We got a little bit lucky there at the end. But the kids played really hard and I'm excited for them and just how much work they put in today."

 

Lang (Spokane, Wash./Lewis & Clark HS) stopped a season-high eight shots and defender Bryson Pavel (Boise, Idaho) also saved a score by clearing an attempt by NNU's Erik Anderson off the goal line in the 54th minute.
 
"Cody maybe had the best game he's had all year," Collings exclaimed. "He made a great save early on and then there was a header later in the second half that he held that was big time. He was a rock today and showed why he is one of the better goalkeepers around."
 
Ryan Foo made three saves for the Crusaders, who outshot the visitors by a 16-7 margin.
 
Saturday marked the end of a difficult stretch that saw SPU play six road games during an eight-game span.
 
"In the grand scheme of things, we're really excited because this is our last road game. We're excited to get home for three games," Collings said. "Hopefully, we just kind of get into a routine. We've been on the road, in hotels, flying and on buses.
 
"So to get home, knowing that we won our last road game and just took the one loss on the road is important. Good teams have to be able to win on the road and we showed that today."
 
These teams played to a scoreless tie in their first meeting, on Sept. 24 in Seattle. NNU could have overtaken the Falcons and moved into first place with a win on Saturday.
 
Instead SPU stayed in first place as it closes out the regular-season campaign with three consecutive home games, beginning on Thursday against U-Mary. Kick-off is 4:30 p.m. at Interbay Stadium as the opener of a soccer doubleheader with the Falcons women.
 
The SPU men entertain Montana State Billings on Oct. 31 at 4 p.m. and Saint Martin's on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.
 
Collings refused to consider the conference championship implications of his team's present position.
 
"I don't want to sound cliché, but we're really just going to focus on the next one. The nice thing about what we have here is that we control it. We control who can potentially win the league and who can't. So that's really nice and speaks to the work that we've done. But at this point our focus will be on the next game and trying to get a result."
 
 
NCAA MEN'S SOCCER
Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015
Finkbeiner Park / Nampa, Idaho
 
#9 Seattle Pacific 2, at Northwest Nazarene 1
 
Scoring – 1, SPU, own goal, 60:10; 2, SPU, Danny Olivas (PK), 68:09; 3, NNU, Michael Mollay (Julio Castillo), 69:16.
 
Shots – SPU 7, NNU 16.
Saves – SPU 9 (Cody Lang 8, Team 1), NNU 3 (Ryan Foo).
Corner kicks – SPU 3, NNU 5.
Fouls – SPU 15, NNU 17.
Offsides – SPU 1, NNU 2.
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 11-1-3, 7-1-3 GNAC
Northwest Nazarene 10-5-1, 6-4-1 GNAC
 
Next SPU Men's Game
U-Mary at Seattle Pacific
Thursday, Oct. 29, 4:30 p.m.
Interbay Stadium / Seattle, Wash.