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Scene shifts south, east. Beginning to find its rhythm, the Seattle Pacific University men’s soccer team looks to extend its first win streak during the busiest week of the season. The Falcons (3-1-0) track south to San Francisco State (2-1-0) Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 6) and then east to Cal State Stanislaus (1-2-0) Friday (Sept. 8) to complete a stretch of four games in seven days. They wrap-up the California portion of their six consecutive road games Sept. 12 at Cal State Monterey Bay. The Great Northwest Athletic Conference season starts Sept. 16 at Western Washington.

Countdown to 500. When somebody coaches for nearly five decades, there’s sure to be some numerology countdowns along the way. Coach Cliff McCrath is now on final approach for his 500th victory at Seattle Pacific. Not bad for a fellow whose first team failed to win a single game. In between then and now, 36 years have passed and his teams have won 495 times, including five NCAA Division II championships. Altogether, McCrath has 580 wins (in 47-plus years) to lead Div. II and rank No. 2 behind Joe Bean (592) of Div. III Wheaton.

Pieces fitting together. Truth be told, teams learn more in defeat than victory. So it’s not surprising that SPU rebounded from its first loss with two impressive road wins. In taking the Seawolf Classic title, the Falcons got better and better with each 45-minute period. After weathering some early pressure, they scored twice in the second half to beat Cal State L.A. 2-0. They then hit 17th-ranked Sonoma State with a 1-2 punch in the first 32 minutes and went on to win 3-0. Seattle Pacific is now 10-2-2 in its last 14 games on California soil.

Welcome Matty. He made the all-region team as an apprentice, and now he resembles the material All-Americans are made of. Matt Kemper (Jr., Colorado Springs, Co./Palmer) has found a home at sweeper, organizing the back four and cutting and clearing the area of any danger. Last week’s shutouts were the sixth and seventh in Kemper’s last nine games at the back, and he was voted the defensive MVP of the Seawolf Classic, as well as GNAC player of the week.

Forwards, ho! It took about 230 minutes, but the team’s forwards have come to the fore in the attack, accounting for three of the five goals scored in the tournament. Andy Willis (Sr., Gig Harbor, Wa./Gig Harbor) got things started for the strikers vs. Cal State L.A., notching his first goal of the year and the 19th of his career in the 50th minute. The tourney’s offensive MVP, Colin Rigby (Sr., Mercer Island, Wa.), came off the bench and hit the first of two scores within five minutes vs. Sonoma State, and James Coggan (Jr., San Jose, Ca./Valley Christian) added an assist and second-half goal.

Wherever, whenever. The team’s eight goals have come from seven different players, and if the trend continues it will make opponents’ marking assignments something akin to roulette. The midfielders continue to inflict damage. Michael Morris (Sr., Bothell, Wa./Blanchet) has been involved in three of the eight goals (two goals, one assist) and his midfield partners Steve Spencer (Sr., Scottsdale, Az./Chaparral-Paradise Valley CC) and Justin Abel (Jr., Snohomish, Wa./Snohomish-St. John’s) have one goal apiece. Jeff Hallenbeck (Jr., Redmond, Wa./Inglemoor, the team’s co-leader in goals last season, has yet to find the mark but has launched eight shots.

Throw-ins. Kellen Rosten (Jr., Colorado Springs, Co./Doherty) made a total of nine saves in the two shutouts. Rosten now has 16 career clean sheets, leaving him three shy of a tie for No. 4 all-time...SPU sank 13 spots in the national rankings, to No. 22. Surprisingly, Dominguez Hills fell nine as well, to No. 14, despite winning its first three games....Rosten, Rigby and Kemper were joined on the all-tournament team by Abel and Morris...McCrath shuffled his lineup last week, inserting Alec Nelson (Fr., Lynnwood, Wa./Meadowdale) for both games, and Josh Burnside (Fr., Black Diamond, Wa./Kennedy) took over for an injured Colin Kosco (So., Edmonds, Wa./Meadowdale) vs. Sonoma...Brandon Crutchfield (Fr., Snohomish, Wa.) got an assist on the second goal vs. CSLA but was ejected moments later. It was one of eight cards issued by the referee to both teams (five yellows to the Golden Eagles)...SPU has not lost two in a row in its last 44 games over three seasons...The goal by Willis was his seventh career game-winner...Morris is tied for third in GNAC total points and Coggan is tied for third in assists (2). Rosten leads in goals-against average (0.50) and shutouts (3).

Coaching Staff. Chuck Sekyra was voted coach of the year for the second consecutive time in the GNAC after taking the Falcons to a league title, NCAA playoff berth and a 19-1-2 record in his second season. Seykra, an assistant at Washington for three seasons, has close ties to the Puget Sound soccer community and to Seattle Pacific in particular. He is a graduate of SPU, played on two NCAA championship teams and was assistant men¹s coach from 1998-99. Sekyra was a starter on the Œ86 squad which became the first in Division II history to win back-to-back national crowns. He is head coach of the Washington State girls ODP Under-16 team and a Region IV ODP staff coach. Goalkeeper coach Kevin Blokker returns for his third year on the staff after previously coaching at San Francisco (his alma mater), Wyoming, Fresno State and Kansas. Chalise Baysa, Oregon¹s all-time scoring leader, is in her second season on the staff. She now plays for the W-League Seattle Sounders.

Tickets, please. Ticket prices for all SPU regular season home games are $5 for general admission, with students and senior citizens $3. Group and team rates are available by phoning (206) 281-2085 in advance.

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.