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Friday night lights. With the pace of the men’s soccer season slowing for just a little while, Seattle Pacific University now plays just once during a nine-day span, and that date is at home. The 8th-ranked Falcons (8-2-0) will go after their sixth straight win Friday night (Sept. 29) when they close-out a three-game home stand versus Colorado’s Regis (2-7-1). A flurry of activity begins again Oct. 5 at CU-Colorado Springs.

Working overtime. Not soon to be forgotten will be the 500th wins for both the Seattle Pacific program and Coach Cliff McCrath during his tenure with the Falcons. Both milestone victories did not come easily nor quickly as SPU was extended to double overtime by both Grand Canyon (4-3) and Notre Dame de Namur (2-1) last week. It marked the first time in three seasons that two consecutive games had gone to overtime, and the first time ever that SPU won back-to-back overtime games. The current win streak matches the longest in two years. In 2004 the team won seven straight and went unbeaten in 10. McCrath’s record at SPU is 500-179-80 and altogether, he has 585 wins, all told. The only win for the Falcons without McCrath came under Arnie Aizstrauts in 1969.

Just reward. Seattle Pacific vaulted back into the top 10 of the NCAA Division II rankings this week, rising eight spots and overtaking Cal State Dominguez Hills as the No. 1 team in the coaches poll for the Far West Region. Seattle University, Dominguez Hills, Sonoma State and Cal State L.A. complete the top five. With regard to postseason selection, the next five games will count toward the all-important criteria of in-region record. The top four teams in the Far West (according to NCAA ratings) advance to the playoffs next month.

The Rigby effect. He’s started only twice and he’s not among the top scorers in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, yet forward Colin Rigby (Sr., Mercer Island, Wa.) has made a profound impact on results of late. He came off the bench to score at Western Washington, then got the starting nod last week. Rigby proved his worth as a target man, keeping possession in the attacking half, but he was also on the finishing end of things. First came a near-miss to start the second overtime period vs. Grand Canyon, when his shot skipped off the crossbar. Moments later he punched in the game-winner in the 102nd minute. Against NDNU, his flick-on header set-up the first goal and he drew the penalty kick which resulted in another game-winning score. Rigby now has three goals to rank third on the team, and he was named the GNAC player of the week.

Helping hands. Sure, it’s a sport which is essentially played with feet. But on occasion other body parts factor into the equation: heads, shoulders and even hands. An increasingly popular weapon of choice this season has been the throw-in, and the Falcons have two players who can launch balls long into the penalty area. Brandon Crutchfield (Fr., Snohomish, Wa.) and Colin Kosco (So., Edmonds, Wa./Meadowdale) are the deep threats, with Crutchfield’s long throw to Rigby resulting in an easy sitter for Jeff Hallenbeck (Jr., Redmond, Wa./Inglemoor) vs. Grand Canyon. Long throwers have figured prominently in championship teams of the past, namely Eric Benz in ‘78, Scott Cairns (42 assists, many from throws) in the mid-80s and James and Jason Dunn on the ‘93 title-winning team.

Goals begin to gush. It took awhile, but the offense is now generating plenty of chances as well as goals. Seattle Pacific has scored 15 times in the last four games and its average yield of 2.30 goals per game is the highest since 2002. Andy Willis (Sr., Gig Harbor, Wa./Gig Harbor) scored in his third straight game vs. Grand Canyon and he shares the team lead with four altogether with Michael Morris (Sr., Bothell, Wa./Blanchet). It was Morris who converted the penalty to win the NotreDame de Namur contest. Crutchfield and Matt Kemper (Jr., Colorado Springs, Co./Palmer) also scored on GCU.

Throw-ins. The defense which blanked four of the first six opponents is now seeking its first shutout in five games. SPU has twice allowed three goals, something which last occurred in 2002...Morris took over the team lead in total points (10), just ahead of nine for James Coggan (Jr., San Jose, Ca./Valley Christian). They rank third and sixth, respectively, in the GNAC...Defending champion Fort Lewis (Co.) remains No. 1 in the nation, in front of Florida’s Lynn and Franklin Pierce (NH)...Kemper has now started 50 consecutive games. The others to start all 10 games are Hallenbeck, Morris, Justin Abel (Jr., Snohomish, Wa./Snohomish), Kellen Rosten (Jr., Colorado Springs, Co./Doherty) and Drew Macha (Jr., Eugene, Or./Marist)...Morris is the GNAC leader in shots (30) while Rosten is tops in shutouts (4) and GAA (1.07)...SPU has outscored teams 12-5 in the first half...Prior to last week, the Falcons had gone 3-5-8 in their last 16 overtime games.

Coaching Staff. Cliff McCrath is the Division II leader in career coaching victories. In 2002 he surpassed San Francisco’s retired Steve Negoesco to briefly become collegiate soccer’s leader for all divisions. McCrath has led SPU to a record 28 NCAA playoff appearances, including berths in 18 of the last 22 years, and five national titles (1978, ‘83, ‘85, ‘86 and ‘93). His staff includes former Falcons Mark Collings (‘98 Final Four), Mark Metzger (‘78 championship team), and Sergio Soriano (‘78 NCAA winners).

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.