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Into the Frying Pan. For a very young Seattle Pacific University men¹s soccer team, the first portion of the 2001 fall schedule will be a test by fire, and the temperature could well reach triple digits, particularly on the date of the two opening games. The first of 20 games is in Phoenix, where forecasts call for temperatures reaching 104 degrees Friday (Aug. 24) against Grand Canyon and Monday (Aug. 27) when the Falcons face 2000 NCAA semifinalist and No. 4-ranked Lewis of Illinois. The scene shifts to Chico State Aug. 29.

Going, Going, Gone. Friends and family, take a good look at these guys because the SPU players and coaches won¹t be coming home for awhile. In fact, the first eight games are all on the road, a circuitous path which takes Cliff McCrath and his team from Arizona to Northern California to Southern California, back to Washington and up to British Columbia. It is the longest stretch of road games for the Falcons since 1993. Even more imposing, three of the first four opponents had winning records in 2000, including defending NCAA champion Cal State Dominguez Hills which SPU visits Sept. 1.

Wholesale Changes. If Seattle Pacific is to extend its run of consecutive NCAA playoff appearances to 12, McCrath will have to work some magic because he lost eight starters to graduation. Among the losses were two-time All-America forward Dana Garner and career assist record-holder Vadim Tolstolutsky, both now playing professionally in the A-League. SPU won its final nine regular season games last season to repeat its Pacific West Conference title and the Falcons were unbeaten (11-0-1) in 12 games before being eliminated by Dominguez Hills in a first-round playoff.

You Can Count on Thee. McCrath¹s cupboard isn¹t exactly bare. The midfield partnership of Erik Skipper (Sr., Hillsboro, Or./Glencoe) and Cory Janzen (Sr., Langley, B.C./Lynden Christian) remains intact. Skipper is the top returning scorer with seven goals and 20 points while Janzen scored six goals and 16 points. Grant Falco (Jr., Spokane, Wa./University), the leading scorer in 1999, is another returning starter. Brent Egbert (So., Bellingham, Wa./Sehome), the conference runner-up for newcomer of the year as a freshman, and Joe Kinzel (So., Shoreline, Wa./Shorewood) combined for 11 goals in their first season.

Defensive Overhaul. While the attack has a ring of familiarity, the defense could be altogether new as each of the starters graduated. The most experienced of the returnees are Mike Pardini (Jr., Pasco, Wa.), who has nine career starts, and Bobby Schefter (Jr., Yakima, Wa./West Valley), who was the top reserve in the latter half of 2000. Taylor Hoff (So., Eugene, Or./Sheldon) played in each of the final 17 games last year, primarily in defensive midfield, and scored two goals. Adrian Cravalho (Jr., Mililani, Hi./Kamehameha) began last season as the starter in goal before yielding to Josh Davis. The Falcons were undefeated (13-0-1) when allowing less than two goals in 2000.

See How They Rank. So far, this green SPU squad has gotten a vote of confidence from other coaches. It is ranked No. 13 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) preseason poll. Cal State Dominguez Hills, despite losing four starters, is No. 1. Sonoma State, the opponent for the Sept. 20 home opener, is No. 22. The Falcons are picked to finish first in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, ahead of Seattle University, Western Washington, Humboldt State and Northwest Nazarene.

Rookies of the Year. As many as three of the 12 freshmen could win starting spots in Friday night¹s opener, and for the first time since Mike Wheeler in 1982 a rookie could be guarding the nets. James Ward (Fr., Salem, Or./Sprague), who scored 12 goals while splitting time at forward in his high school senior season, wowed the coaches in preseason. Nathan Bringhurst (Fr., South Jordan, Ut./Bingham) was the favorite for stopper and Josh Carswell (Fr., Monroe, Wa./Monroe) has been impressive at left midfield.

Footnotes. With Tyler Falco (Fr., Spokane, Wa./University) joining older brother Grant, they become the 15th set of siblings to play together at Seattle Pacific. Another pair is Bob and Michael Schefter (So., Yakima, Wa./West Valley)...There is a pair of Division I transfers on the team. Matt Laughlin (So., Selah, Wa./Selah), projected to start at sweeper, saw action in eight games as a freshman for Massachusetts and Max Leinbach (So., Eugene, Or./South Eugene) played in 11 games for Portland last season.

Opponents & Series Notes. Grand Canyon, the Œ96 NCAA champion, has not met SPU since the Œ98 playoffs and a sudden death overtime loss at Interbay. The Falcons lead the series 3-2-1. This will be the first meeting with Lewis, which fell to Dominguez Hills in the NCAA semifinal round...The Falcons are 24-3-2 in last 29 openers and won their final nine regular season games of 2000.

Coaching Staff. Cliff McCrath begins the 2001 season as the active leader among all divisions in career coaching victories. He needs 24 to surpass San Francisco¹s recently-retired Steve Negoesco (543) as the all-time leader. McCrath has led SPU to a record 27 NCAA playoff appearances, including berths in each of the last 11 years, and five national titles (1978, Œ83, Œ85, Œ86 and Œ93). He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and is a past national coach of the year. His staff includes former Falcons Mark Metzger (Œ78 championship team), Peter Hattrup (Œ83 and Œ85 title teams) and Chuck Granade (Œ93 NCAA winners).

Tickets, Please. Ticket prices for all SPU regular season home games are $7 for reserved and $5 for general admission, with students and senior citizens receiving G.A. tickets for $3. Group rates are available by phoning (206) 281-2085 in advance.