SEATTLE (Nov. 3) ­ Brent Egbert's goal midway through the second half earned 17th-ranked Seattle Pacific University a 1-0 win over Western Washington while keeping the Falcons' postseason men's soccer hopes very much alive.

The victory gave SPU sole possession of second place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. It finished the regular season with a record of 13-3-2, 4-2-0 in conference. NCAA Division II tournament berths will be announced Monday.

Egbert (Sr., Bellingham, Wa./Sehome) broke open the scoreless stalemate with 25 minutes remaining. The scoring play began with Nick Letts (Jr., Dublin, Ca.) firing low toward the left corner from the top of the box. Vikings goalie Ben Dragavon dived full-stretch to make the stop, but couldn't hold the ball. Egbert streaked into the area and put the rebound into the net from 7 yards. It was his 13th goal of the year.

Western Washington, which has playoff hopes as well, pressed the attack in the game's latter stages. The best chance to tie came when Jeff Lane's 18-yard shot skipped past the left post with 4 minutes left. The Vikings (2-4-0, 13-6-0) had won three in a row.

James Ward (Sr., Salem, Or.) made four saves to get his fourth shutout.

Seattle Pacific remains perfect this season (10-0-0) when scoring first. Letts has three assists and two goals in the last four outings.

There were few scoring opportunities for either team, with each getting off nine shots. In the opening half, SPU forced Dragavon to make saves on Egbert and Letts in the 18th and 22nd minutes. Later, Western's John Hoosestraat redirected a corner kick into the crease and Ward bobbled then grabbed the ball at his feet.

In the second half, other than the goal, the Falcons' James Coggan drilled 30-yard shot which Dragavon scooped with a lunge in the 50th minute.

Three playoff berths are available in the Far West Region and SPU began the week tied for No. 3 with UC San Diego, which plays in the CCAA semifinal Friday against the fourth team in the region, Cal State Bakersfield. All three losses for the Falcons have come against teams currently ranked among the top 10 nationally.

The 13 wins is the most by Seattle Pacific since 2000, when it last made the Div. II tournament, and the three losses is the fewest in the regular season since 1999.

Scoring--1, SPU, Egbert (Letts) 64:37.

Shots--WWU 9, SPU 9.

Saves--WWU (Dragavon) 4, SPU (Ward ) 4.

Corner kicks--WWU 3, SPU 4.

Fouls--WWU 18, SPU 17.

Offside--WWU 0, SPU 0.

Cautions‹Willis, SPU, 44:07; Taylor, SPU, 81:10; Milsten, WWU, 85:02; Letts, SPU, 85:02; Mueller, WWU, 86:15.