Falcon Men Left Out of NCAA Soccer Tournament
November 8, 2004

SEATTLE (Nov. 8) ­ Despite the second-fewest losses in program history and being ranked 17th nationally, Seattle Pacific University was not granted a berth in the NCAA Division II men's soccer tournament Monday.

The Falcons, who finished 13-3-2, were effectively squeezed out of the running for the third and final berth in the Far West region by Cal State Bakersfield, an upset victor in the California Collegiate Athletic Association championship game.

Seattle University will host the Far West men's regional beginning Friday. Cal State Dominguez Hills, the No. 2 seed, will face Bakersfield at 1 p.m. The unbeaten Redhawks await the winner on Sunday.

Never before has an SPU team with three or fewer regular-season losses been overlooked for a playoff bid. The losses were to Seattle U. (twice) and CSDH in the opening game of the season.

The Falcons were tied for third in last week's regional rankings with UC San Diego, which was also left out. They beat Western Washington 1-0 to conclude the regular season. Bakersfield tied UCSD in the first round of the CCAA tournament and then defeated CSDH 2-0 in the final.

Only three previous Seattle Pacific teams (1987, '91 and '93) have lost fewer games in a season. The 13 victories was the most since 2000.