Seattle Pacific men’s soccer had a successful weekend to send off their seniors. The Falcons defeated the Northwest Nazarene University Nighthawks 1-0 on Thursday, Nov. 14, before their 3-1 victory over the Montana State University Billings Yellowjackets on Saturday, Nov. 16.
The Nighthawks’ defense kept SPU off the scoreboard for the entire first half despite a barrage of shots sent by freshman midfielder Lukas Shriner, sophomore midfielder Christopher Soto, junior midfielder Connor Tollan and freshman center back Carter Gay. Senior midfielder Raymundo Mendez scored SPU’s only goal in the 74th minute.
Seattle Pacific celebrated their graduating seniors on Saturday before their game against MSU Billings. The Falcons bid farewell to Mendez, goalkeeper Pierluca Carnovale, defender Donovan Allen, forward Joseph Van Horn, forward Judah Johnston and defender Evan Aune.
Mendez appeared in and started 33 matches for the SPU. He leads the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in goals scored with 13 for the 2024 season. Mendez has scored 26 goals total for the Falcons and given five assists. He was named the GNAC Newcomer of the Year and earned First Team honors in 2023.
Carnovale appeared in and started 16 matches for the Falcons. This was his first and last season with SPU after four years at Willamette University. Carnovale amassed 48 saves and four shutouts for the 2024 season.
Allen appeared in 48 matches for the Falcons with 19 starts. He has scored three goals, made the GNAC All-Academic team four times and has been named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District twice.
Van Horn has played 63 matches for the Falcons, starting in 13. He has six goals, four assists, and was named Second Team All-GNAC in 2023.
Johnston has appeared in 71 matches for the Falcons, making 31 starts. He’s scored seven goals, dished out seven assists, and has earned GNAC All-Academic honors four times.
Aune started in 60 out of 62 matches for the Falcons. He has accumulated one goal and one assist, earned GNAC Honorable Mention, First Team All-GNAC honors, GNAC All-Academic team three times and made CSC Academic All-District.
The Yellowjackets’ defense was less successful in keeping the Falcons at bay. Mendez put SPU on the board in the 27th minute, assisted by redshirt-sophomore defender Isaac Ketcham. Shriner and Gay scored SPU’s second and third goals in the 58th and 82nd minutes, narrowly slipping through windows in the Nighthawks’ defense.
Head Coach Kevin Sakuda said the weekend was a great way to honor the seniors.
“The senior group has meant so much [and] has invested so much to this program, so we wanted to send them off with a win, and I couldn’t think of a better way for them to end their careers,” Sakuda said.
Mendez shared his gratitude to Sakuda and the team.
“It’s sad [but] I’m super grateful I was able to spend two years here and meet the best teammates,” Mendez said. “My teammates [and] all the coaching staff are always raising the level around me [and] have given me a lot of confidence and a lot of belief, so all credit to them.”
Johnston was ecstatic to finish his final season with a win.
“It just feels good to play here at Interbay one more time with all the guys I’ve been with for five years now,” Johnston said. “It means so much [to] see everyone fight hard to get the win.”
The Falcons complete the 2024 season with an 8-6-4 overall record and a 5-4-3 conference record. They finished tied for third with the Yellowjackets and Nighthawks in the GNAC standings.
