Conference closer. Thanks to a never-say-die attitude, the Seattle Pacific University men's soccer team remains very much alive in its quest for an NCAA playoff berth as it arrives home for its final three regular season games. The No. 23-ranked Falcons (2-1-0, 9-6-1) can clinch their 31st consecutive winning season when they host Humboldt State (0-1-0, 6-9-2) in their final Great Northwest Athletic Conference counter Friday night (Oct. 26). They are back at Interbay Stadium on Halloween night to face Western Washington and Nov. 3 versus Simon Fraser.

Stayin' alive. A combination of dramatic comebacks by SPU and stumbling by some fellow postseason contenders in California have left the Falcons in fairly good shape going into the final two weeks. Seattle Pacific moved up one spot to No. 3 in the NCAA Far West Region rankings this week. Defending national champion Cal State Dominguez Hills, ranked No. 3 nationally, seems virtually assured of taking the top seed and home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs Nov. 10. Grand Canyon took over as No. 2 in the region and has two road games this week. Sonoma State took the biggest tumble, losing twice to fall from No. 2 to No. 4 in the region. The California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament is Nov. 2 and 4 in San Diego.

Conference to be settled soon. By late Friday night the GNAC race should be determined. SPU can clinch second place against Humboldt State but it needs a Western Washington win over Seattle University to have an opportunity to be co-champion. The Vikings and Redhawks meet Friday afternoon. Seattle Pacific has claimed at least a share of the conference crown for the past three years.

It's not over 'til we say so. The Falcons walked a tightrope during their trip to Texas last week. Twice they found themselves down by at least two goals going into the final 13 minutes only to score three goals in short time spans to salvage a victory and a tie. Against both Saint Edwards and Incarnate Word Coach Cliff McCrath pulled James Ward (Fr., Salem, Or./Sprague) from the goal and pushed him forward in the final stages. Ward responded with two assists and the game-winning goal in the 3-2 win over Saint Edwards, and he scored twice in the final six minutes of regulation­including the equalizer with 24 seconds left­to pull SPU even with Incarnate Word, 3-3. The goals were Ward's first of the season and earned him GNAC player of the week. He has started 15 games in goal and has a goals-against average of 1.55.

A class act. Ward was not the only member of the freshman class to figure prominently in the late-game rallies. David Smith (Fr., Corvallis, Or.), making his first two starts of the season, also scored three goals and had an assist. Smith, who missed the first six games with a pulled hamstring, now leads the team with six goals and leads the GNAC in goals per game (0.55). He ignited the comeback with two goals within a span of 1:38 versus Saint Edwards and produced the team's first goal in the 85th minute against Incarnate Word. In the latter game, all three goals came in the final 5:51 of regulation.

Where's Ward starting? McCrath's next decision is not whether to start Ward but where. His team struggled offensively, scoring just two goals over four previous games, and it was not until Ward went to forward that the team scored its six goals in Texas. Adrian Cravalho (Jr., Mililani, Hi./Kamehameha) replaced Ward in goal and made six saves in his combined 83 minutes, including two game-saving stops in overtime versus Incarnate Word.

Footnotes. Seattle Pacific's string of 30 winning seasons is the longest in Division II history. A win or tie vs. Humboldt State would extend it to 31 years...Grant Falco (Jr., Spokane, Wa./University) leads the GNAC in assists (10). With two more he will break into the all-time top 10 for a single season...Sweeper Matt Laughlin (So., Selah, Wa.) earned his first two assists in Texas. It was his 75-yard clearance which put Ward through for the winning goal vs. Saint Edwards...Five freshmen were in the starting lineups used in San Antonio. Joining Smith and Ward were defender Tyler Falco (Fr., Veradale, Wa./University), midfielder Nathan Bringhurst (Fr., South Jordan, Ut./Bingham) and forward Sean Sandin (Fr., Renton, Wa./Kentridge)...Four of Smith's six goals have come after the 77th minute. As a team the Falcons have scored 24 of their 35 goals after the 50th minute, including 15 after the 70th minute. Opponents have scored four times within the first five minutes...McCrath has taken teams with as many as seven losses into the playoffs. That happened in both 1996 and '97 and in '98 SPU lost six games yet still advanced to the Final Four...Five of the six losses have been to teams which were nationally-ranked either during or immediately after their meeting with SPU.

Opponents & series notes. Seattle Pacific has not lost three consecutive home games since early in 1982 but it has lost its last two games at Interbay. The Falcons, however, are unbeaten (3-0-1) in four previous meetings with Humboldt State. The Lumberjacks possess the GNAC's top scorer in Eduardo Serrano (9-3-21) but they have lost four in a row and are winless (0-5-1) in their last six outings. They have scored just two goals in the last five games.

Coaching Staff. Cliff McCrath begins the 2001 season as the active leader among all divisions in career coaching victories. He needs 15 to surpass San Francisco's 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, '83, '85, '86 and '93). 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 ('78 championship team), Peter Hattrup ('83 and '85 title teams) and Chuck Granade ('93 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 and team rates are available by phoning (206) 281-2085 in advance.