Four on our floor. In terms of sink-or-swim situations, the playoffs are already upon Seattle Pacific University. The Falcons' drive to earn an NCAA tournament berth during the final two weeks of the regular season is fraught with teams equally talented and motivated. A four-game home stand begins Tuesday night (Oct. 29) versus the No. 9 team in NAIA, Simon Fraser (11-2-0), followed by a Friday night (Nov. 1) bout with crosstown rival Seattle University (10-5-1). Western Washington visits Interbay Stadium Nov. 6.

Run the table time. Seattle Pacific remains in the hunt for one of two playoff berths in the Far West region, but there is no margin for error. A 3-2 loss at 7th-ranked Cal State Bakersfield, while full of positive signs, left SPU needing to run the table and win its remaining four games in order to earn consideration for the playoffs. Currently, Seattle Pacific is seventh in the coaches poll. The NCAA committee, which conducts its own poll, determines postseason berths. If the Falcons manage to finish 13-5-1, they would still need assistance in the form of losses by Sonoma State, UC Davis and Cal State Dominguez Hills, which hosts Bakersfield this week.

Home boys. The good news is that each of the remaining games is at home, where the Falcons are 5-0-0 this season and they are aiming to finish with an unblemished home record for the first time since 1993. The formula for this season's success at Interbay: a mistake-free first half, followed by an increasingly dominant performance in the second period. Seattle Pacific has gone into the locker room with a tie score in three home games and with a one-goal lead in the two others. In the second half, the hosts have dominated, with a goal differential of 12-1. Eleven of those goals have been scored in the final 30 minutes of regulation time.

Return games. On the dark side, in the first meeting earlier this year with Simon Fraser, Seattle U. and Western Washington, SPU lost twice and managed a draw at Bellingham. The common thread in the losses to the Clan and Redhawks was an early defensive lapse which translated to quick 2-0 deficits in each game. In fact, in four of the five losses, the Falcons have trailed by that margin. Not since last season and a 3-3 draw at Incarnate Word have they rallied from a deficit of more than one goal. SPU is 7-0-1 when scoring first.

A bunch of Yerkes. If any individual has made himself a home at Interbay its Jeremy Yerkes (So., Gresham, Or./Gresham-Tacoma CC). The crafty attacking midfielder has scored in each of the five home games. Yerkes leads the team and is tied for third in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with 19 total points. He is one of six freshmen and sophomores now in the starting lineup. Yerkes and Grant Falco (Sr., Veradale, Wa./University), who was selected as GNAC player of the week for his two goals, including the overtime game-winner at Cal Poly Pomona, are tied for fourth among GNAC goal scorers with seven each.

A handful to go. With 539 career wins, Coach Cliff McCrath needs just five more to tie retired San Francisco coach Steve Negoesco (544) as the all-time collegiate leader. To do so this season, SPU must make the playoffs and advance to at least the second round. Uncle Nubby has guided 33 Falcon teams to 454 wins since 1970. The program has not sustained a losing record in the past 31 years (the next win will extend the streak) and has qualified for postseason play 28 times. Both are Division II records. SPU was the NCAA champion in 1978, '83, '85, '86 and '93. McCrath and Michelle Akers, a Seattle native two-time world champion, will receive the lifetime achievement award from the Friends of Soccer/Washington State at a Nov. 6 breakfast at the Seahawks Stadium restaurant.

Footnotes. Since scoring his first collegiate goal in the first meeting with Seattle U., Nick Letts (Fr., Dublin, Ca./Redwood Christian) has flourished in a starting midfield role. Letts was GNAC player of the week after scoring a goal and adding an assist vs. Grand Canyon, and he added an assist in each of last week's road games...Brent Egbert's (Jr., Bellingham, Wa./Sehome) goal at Bakersfield was his third in the last five games...In GNAC stats, Falco (17) is sixth in overall points. Michael Brkich (So., Vancouver, B.C./Vienna Christian-Chico State), who scored at Bakersfield, and Yerkes are tied for No. 2 in assists (5). Goalie James Ward (So., Salem, Or./Sprague) is No. 2 in shutouts (4) and No. 3 in goals-against average (1.31)...Seattle U. and SPU are the top two scoring teams in the GNAC, averaging 3.31 and 2.73 goals per game, respectively.

Coaching Staff. Cliff McCrath is the active leader among all divisions in career coaching victories. He needs nine to surpass San Francisco's retired Steve Negoesco (543) as the all-time leader. McCrath has led SPU to a record 27 NCAA playoff appearances, including berths in 17 of the last 18 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).

Missing links. For the latest and best information on Seattle Pacific University athletics, stay where you're at -- on The Falcons Online. For updated standings and statistics, see the Great Northwest Athletic Conference web site.