No. 13 Seattle U men’s soccer earned the 11 seed in this year’s NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament and will host No. 25 UCLA in the school’s first NCAA DI tournament game hosted on campus. The Redhawks made their first appearance in the Division I tournament in 2013, defeating Creighton, 2-1, before returning to Seattle to face Washington in the Second Round. Coming into Sunday’s game, Seattle U is tied with Creighton for most wins in the nation (17).
NATIONALLY RANKED REDHAWKS
This week, the Redhawks celebrate their eighth straight week in the NSCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Top 25 at No. 13. Over the past seven weeks, Seattle U has been ranked No. 13 (also Nov. 3), No. 15 twice (Nov. 10, Oct. 27), No. 19 twice (Oct. 6, Oct. 20) and No. 24 twice (Sept. 29, Oct. 13).
In 2014, Seattle U earned the program’s first two Division I national rankings since reclassification in the NSCAA/Continental Tire Top 25. On Sept. 2, 2014 the Redhawks were ranked No. 22 and on Sept. 30, 2014 they were ranked No. 24.
2015 NCAA RPI RELEASED
With the No. 11 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament, the Redhawks received their highest ever RPI ranking last week (Nov. 9) at No. 9. Seattle U is the second highest rated team in Washington, Oregon, and California behind Stanford (No. 8 seed). RPI (Rating Percentage Index) is used to rank teams based upon wins, losses, and strength of schedule, and is primarily used for seeding for the national postseason tournament.
SCOUTING NO. 25 UCLA
UCLA defeated Cal Poly, 2-0, on a goal from Jordan Vale and an own goal, in the NCAA First Round in Los Angeles on Thursday. Seattle native Seyi Adekoya leads the team with 12 goals on the season while Jose Hernandez follows right behind with 11. In goal, Juan Cervantes has made a team-high 15 appearances with a 8-5-1 record, 1.24 GAA, 60.9 save pct., and four shutouts. The Bruins are four-time national champions (1985, 1990, 1997, 2002) and have made an appearance in every NCAA tournament since 1983. In 2014, UCLA played national champion Virginia to a scoreless draw in the title game before the Cavaliers won the shootout, 4-2, to earn the title. The Bruins and Redhawks face for the second time in history after UCLA earned a 2-1 win in Los Angeles on Friday, Sept. 23, 2011.
BEST OF THE WEST
In the Nov. 17 version of the NSCAA NCAA Division I Men’s West Regional poll, four of the top 10 are members of the Western Athletic Conference, including two of the top four. The Redhawks (2nd) are joined by Utah Valley (4th), UNLV (7th), and Bakersfield (9th).
WAC TOURNAMENT
After earning a 4-0 shutout vs. CSU Bakersfield, Seattle U played their first overtime contest of the year, going to PK’s vs. Utah Valley to decide the WAC title winner. The Wolverines scored in the 64th minute on a free kick before Hamza Haddadi tied the score on a PK with less than four minutes remaining in regulation. Haddadi capped the Redhawks’ PK attempts, as they won the title on a 5-4 shootout. Utah Valley also found a spot in the NCAA Tournament, falling 2-0 to SMU on Thursday, marking just the fourth time in conference history the WAC has had two or more teams advance to the national tournament.
ALL-CONFERENCE ACCOLADES
Kyle Bjornethun was named WAC Defensive Player of the Year while Sergio Rivas was named WAC Freshman of the Year. Bjornethun joined David Olsen and Shane Haworth with First Team All-Conference honors while Rivas joined Sam Langston and Nathan Aune with second team All-Conference accolades. Head coach Pete Fewing was also named WAC Coach of the Year.
OLSEN CLIMBS SU GOAL RECORDS
With his 14th and 15th goals of the season in the WAC tournament semifinals, David Olsen tied Miguel Gonzalez’s 2013 record for Seattle U’s most goals in a single season in Division I play.
REDHAWKS SET WAC TOURNEY RECORDS
In the WAC tournament semifinals, Seattle U tied several WAC tournament records including David Olsen’s two goals tying the record for most individual goals in a WAC tourney match. As a team, Seattle U’s four goals tied SMU (11/16/97) and Fresno State (11/13/98) for most team goals in a tournament match while their four-goal margin of victory tied for the largest margin of victory (SMU def. Tulsa, 4-0, 11/16/97).
BJORNETHUN NAMED NATIONAL POW
Junior defender Kyle Bjornethun was named National Division I Men’s Soccer Player of the Week by both the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and College Soccer News for scoring both goals in the final 1:36 in a win at No. 13 Oregon State on Sunday, Sept. 27. He was also named Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 21-27.
THE STREAK
From Sept. 19-Oct. 4, the Redhawks recorded the nation’s third-longest winning streak of seven games behind Creighton (10) and Stanford (8).
SU AMONG NSCAA ELITE ACADEMICALLY
Seattle U is one of just over 200 schools whose men’s and women’s soccer teams both received the 2014-15 NSCAA Team Academic Award. This is the second straight year both teams have received the award while it marks the fifth consecutive year for the women.
FEWING’S 250TH
Head coach Pete Fewing earned his 250th career win on Sunday, Sept. 20, a 2-1 come-from-behind victory vs. Dartmouth. David Olsen scored the game-winner late in the game to complete the Redhawk comeback.
NEXT SEASON
Next season (2016) will be the 50th season of the storied and accomplished men’s soccer program at Seattle U.
REDHAWKS PICKED TO WIN WAC
Seattle U was picked to win the 2015 WAC title in the league’s coaches’ preseason vote. Kyle Bjornethun was named WAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year while Hamza Haddadi and Shane Haworth also joined Bjornethun on the Preseason All-Conference team.
HADDADI TIES WAC SCORING RECORD
Senior forward Hamza Haddadi scored four goals, three on PK’s all in the first half, in the Redhawks’ 6-0 season-opening win vs. UC Davis. His goal total tied the Western Athletic Conference record for individual goals in a match set by New Mexico’s Justin Sells in 1996.
NATIONALLY RANKED REDHAWKS
This week, the Redhawks celebrate their eighth straight week in the NSCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Top 25 at No. 13. Over the past seven weeks, Seattle U has been ranked No. 13 (also Nov. 3), No. 15 twice (Nov. 10, Oct. 27), No. 19 twice (Oct. 6, Oct. 20) and No. 24 twice (Sept. 29, Oct. 13).
In 2014, Seattle U earned the program’s first two Division I national rankings since reclassification in the NSCAA/Continental Tire Top 25. On Sept. 2, 2014 the Redhawks were ranked No. 22 and on Sept. 30, 2014 they were ranked No. 24.
2015 NCAA RPI RELEASED
With the No. 11 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament, the Redhawks received their highest ever RPI ranking last week (Nov. 9) at No. 9. Seattle U is the second highest rated team in Washington, Oregon, and California behind Stanford (No. 8 seed). RPI (Rating Percentage Index) is used to rank teams based upon wins, losses, and strength of schedule, and is primarily used for seeding for the national postseason tournament.
SCOUTING NO. 25 UCLA
UCLA defeated Cal Poly, 2-0, on a goal from Jordan Vale and an own goal, in the NCAA First Round in Los Angeles on Thursday. Seattle native Seyi Adekoya leads the team with 12 goals on the season while Jose Hernandez follows right behind with 11. In goal, Juan Cervantes has made a team-high 15 appearances with a 8-5-1 record, 1.24 GAA, 60.9 save pct., and four shutouts. The Bruins are four-time national champions (1985, 1990, 1997, 2002) and have made an appearance in every NCAA tournament since 1983. In 2014, UCLA played national champion Virginia to a scoreless draw in the title game before the Cavaliers won the shootout, 4-2, to earn the title. The Bruins and Redhawks face for the second time in history after UCLA earned a 2-1 win in Los Angeles on Friday, Sept. 23, 2011.
BEST OF THE WEST
In the Nov. 17 version of the NSCAA NCAA Division I Men’s West Regional poll, four of the top 10 are members of the Western Athletic Conference, including two of the top four. The Redhawks (2nd) are joined by Utah Valley (4th), UNLV (7th), and Bakersfield (9th).
WAC TOURNAMENT
After earning a 4-0 shutout vs. CSU Bakersfield, Seattle U played their first overtime contest of the year, going to PK’s vs. Utah Valley to decide the WAC title winner. The Wolverines scored in the 64th minute on a free kick before Hamza Haddadi tied the score on a PK with less than four minutes remaining in regulation. Haddadi capped the Redhawks’ PK attempts, as they won the title on a 5-4 shootout. Utah Valley also found a spot in the NCAA Tournament, falling 2-0 to SMU on Thursday, marking just the fourth time in conference history the WAC has had two or more teams advance to the national tournament.
ALL-CONFERENCE ACCOLADES
Kyle Bjornethun was named WAC Defensive Player of the Year while Sergio Rivas was named WAC Freshman of the Year. Bjornethun joined David Olsen and Shane Haworth with First Team All-Conference honors while Rivas joined Sam Langston and Nathan Aune with second team All-Conference accolades. Head coach Pete Fewing was also named WAC Coach of the Year.
OLSEN CLIMBS SU GOAL RECORDS
With his 14th and 15th goals of the season in the WAC tournament semifinals, David Olsen tied Miguel Gonzalez’s 2013 record for Seattle U’s most goals in a single season in Division I play.
REDHAWKS SET WAC TOURNEY RECORDS
In the WAC tournament semifinals, Seattle U tied several WAC tournament records including David Olsen’s two goals tying the record for most individual goals in a WAC tourney match. As a team, Seattle U’s four goals tied SMU (11/16/97) and Fresno State (11/13/98) for most team goals in a tournament match while their four-goal margin of victory tied for the largest margin of victory (SMU def. Tulsa, 4-0, 11/16/97).
BJORNETHUN NAMED NATIONAL POW
Junior defender Kyle Bjornethun was named National Division I Men’s Soccer Player of the Week by both the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and College Soccer News for scoring both goals in the final 1:36 in a win at No. 13 Oregon State on Sunday, Sept. 27. He was also named Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 21-27.
THE STREAK
From Sept. 19-Oct. 4, the Redhawks recorded the nation’s third-longest winning streak of seven games behind Creighton (10) and Stanford (8).
SU AMONG NSCAA ELITE ACADEMICALLY
Seattle U is one of just over 200 schools whose men’s and women’s soccer teams both received the 2014-15 NSCAA Team Academic Award. This is the second straight year both teams have received the award while it marks the fifth consecutive year for the women.
FEWING’S 250TH
Head coach Pete Fewing earned his 250th career win on Sunday, Sept. 20, a 2-1 come-from-behind victory vs. Dartmouth. David Olsen scored the game-winner late in the game to complete the Redhawk comeback.
NEXT SEASON
Next season (2016) will be the 50th season of the storied and accomplished men’s soccer program at Seattle U.
REDHAWKS PICKED TO WIN WAC
Seattle U was picked to win the 2015 WAC title in the league’s coaches’ preseason vote. Kyle Bjornethun was named WAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year while Hamza Haddadi and Shane Haworth also joined Bjornethun on the Preseason All-Conference team.
HADDADI TIES WAC SCORING RECORD
Senior forward Hamza Haddadi scored four goals, three on PK’s all in the first half, in the Redhawks’ 6-0 season-opening win vs. UC Davis. His goal total tied the Western Athletic Conference record for individual goals in a match set by New Mexico’s Justin Sells in 1996.