SEATTLE (Nov. 3) -- Seattle Pacific University's playoff hopes for men's soccer took yet another hit Saturday night as the Falcons were beaten by Simon Fraser 2-1 in the final regular season game for both teams at Interbay Stadium.

Joseph Marello's second-chance goal with just under 12 minutes remaining made the Clan the only visiting team to win twice at Interbay since the facility opened in 1997. Seattle Pacific lost its final two games, both at home. Western Washington won at Interbay Wednesday night, 1-0.

NCAA Division II tournament bids will be announced Monday. SPU entered the week tied for the second and final berth in the far West Region. Grand Canyon, which was also No. 2, lost to UC Davis Friday but the Aggies are also in contention. They face the region's top team, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Sunday in the California Collegiate Athletic Association championship game in San Diego.

Seattle Pacific's (10-8-1) Erik Skipper (Sr., Hillsboro, Or./Glencoe), one of two seniors honored before the game, had tied the game in the 69th minute. Skipper finished the regular season as the team's co-leader with six goals. He took Matt Laughlin's (So., Selah, Wa.) 40-yard ball into the box, cut to his right and finished from 12 yards.

With the Falcons frantically pushing forward for the go-ahead goal, the Clan (6-8-1) counterattacked and Marello capitalized, first shooting off the feet of a defender, then collecting the ball and beating SPU keeper Adrian Cravalho (Jr., Mililani, Hi./Kamehameha) to the right post from 12 yards.

Ryan Cleary had staked Simon Fraser to a lead in the 32nd minute as James Ward (Fr., Salem, Or./Sprague), the starting goalie, slipped in the mud and could not regain his footing in time to stop Cleary's shot at the top of the box. Ward played the final 22 minutes at forward and got off two shots.

The Falcons were the aggressor throughout the match, finishing with a 19-7 advantage in shots and 13-4 in corner kicks. Brent Egbert (So., Bellingham, Wa./Sehome) and Skipper each had shots saved by SFU goalkeeper Denis Kindel. Skipper had eight shots altogether.

Scoring--
1, SFU, Cleary (unassisted) 31:36;
2, SPU, Skipper (Laughlin) 68:58;
3, SFU, Marello (unassisted) 78:15.

Shots--SFU 7, SPU 19. Saves--SFU (Kindel) 3, SPU (Ward 1/Cravalho 0) 1.

Corner kicks--SFU 4, SPU 13.

Fouls--SFU 17, SPU 7.

Offside--SFU 1, SPU 2.

Cautions--MacAuley, SFU, 57:53; Pardini, SPU, 61:43; Cleary, SFU, 66:00; B. Schefter, SPU, 85:53; Kindel, SFU, 89:14.