One week before finale

SPU men’s soccer ties MSU Billings, losses to Western Oregon

Uriah Aguon, Sports Editor

November 12, 2024

Senior Raymundo Mendez (9) during a match against Simon Frasier University on Nov. 2, 2024 in Seattle. (Rio Giancarlo)

Seattle Pacific University men’s soccer tied Montana State University Billings 2-2 on Thursday, Nov. 7, and lost to Western Oregon University 3-1 on Saturday, Nov. 9.

Senior midfielder Raymundo Mendez put the Falcons on the board in the 20th minute, assisted by sophomore midfielder Christopher Soto. Seattle Pacific held a 1-0 lead until the MSU Billings Yellowjackets tied the score in the 72nd minute. Freshman center back Carter Gay, assisted by junior midfielder Connor Tollan, tied the score in the 88th minute, keeping SPU from suffering a 2-1 loss.

Head Coach Kevin Sakuda shared his thoughts on the team’s performance.

“There were a couple of moments that we didn’t execute on and allowed Billings to get back in the game,” Sakuda said. “It is important to take care of those moments and not put ourselves in a position where we are letting the things outside of our control have an impact on the game.”

Mendez was the sole Falcon to score against Western Oregon on Saturday, Nov 9. He is the Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s leading scorer with 11 goals. Mendez’s goal was scored off a penalty kick earned by sophomore forward JJ Diaz.

Western Oregon responded to Mendez’s goal in the second half with their three goals in the 38th, 42nd and 52nd minutes. Fifth-year goalkeeper Pierluca Carnovale saved two of Western Oregon’s eight shots throughout the game.

Seattle Pacific is fifth in the overall GNAC standings with a 3-4-3 conference record and a 6-6-4 overall record. The Falcons’ last regular season games are against Northwest Nazarene University on Thursday, Nov. 14, in Nampa, Idaho, at 5 p.m. and MSU Billings on Saturday, Nov. 16, at Interbay Stadium at 7 p.m.

Seattle Pacific’s final game will be preceded by their Senior Night celebration, where they will see off Mendez, Carnovale, defender Donovan Allen, forward Joseph Van Horn, forward Judah Johnston and defender Evan Aune.

“Saturday is extra special,” Sakuda said. “We get to honor six guys who are such a big part of the program and who have given so much to the team over their time here.”

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About the Contributors

Uriah Aguon, Sports Editor

Uriah is a Senior English: Creative Writing major. He has been with the Falcon since his freshman year, starting as a features writer, and is now the sports editor. Uriah hopes to remain on the Falcon staff throughout his time at SPU and continue writing in journalism following graduation.

Rio Giancarlo, Editor-in-Chief

Rio is a senior visual communication major with a minor in journalism. After serving two years as the photo editor Rio was hired as editor-in-chief for his final year with The Falcon. An accomplished photojournalist Rio was accepted into the Eddie Adams XXXVII and does freelance photography for Getty Images, the AP, and other local outlets. In his free time you can find him skiing, or wishing he was skiing.