SFU continue to win, sit on top of NCAA West Region
By Bryan Scott
Photos by Adam Ovenell-Carter
It was a busy week for the Simon Fraser Men’s soccer team, as they played three important conference games against the University of Mary, University of Sioux Falls, and Northwest Nazarene University.
On a foggy, brisk day at Terry Fox Field, the Clan took on the visiting University of Mary Marauders. The Clan looked to improve on their five-game winning streak leading up to the game.
The Clan had great pressure early on; Alex Rowley and Ryan Dhillon were particularly effective, with nifty footwork and solid passing. In the 10th minute, Rowley took a corner kick which bounced over to Michael Winter, who lobbed it over the goalie and into the net for the 1–0 lead. Later on, Justin Wallace headed the ball off the crossbar from another Rowley corner, which could have easily given the Clan a two-goal advantage. Wallace was robbed again, this time by the Marauder’s goaltender Michael Frenzel after he dangled in alone around the defense. The Clan managed two shots on net in the first half and led 1–0.
The visibility for the second half was much worse, it was almost impossible to see the far side of the field. There were some collisions between players as a result of the fog. Clan forward Carlo Basso had a great opportunity to start the half, but fell over in the box when the ball was crossed. We will blame that one on the fog. In the 55th minute, Basso tapped in another Rowley corner kick, which got the ball rolling for the Clan. Wallace got redemption in 64th minute when he one timed a beautiful cross by Dhillon, which put the Clan up by three. Shortly after a substitution, Renan Rebelatto scored after Frenzel was unable to handle a bullet from Colin Jaques. Less than two minutes later, Jovan Blagojevic, who had countless chances in the game, sent a rocket to the back of the net from the top the 18-yard box. The Clan won the game 5–0. The Marauders did not register a shot on net the entire game. Hide Ozawa was credited with the shutout.
The Clan played their second home game of the week against the University of Sioux Falls Cougars. For the second time in as many games, Ozawa shut out the opposition; he made one save for his fourth shutout of the season. They followed suit on the offensive side of the ball, by filling the net, taking the game 6–0.
Winter started the Clan offensive attack early once again, scoring in the eighth minute off a cross from Basso. Jaques made it 2–0 six minutes later when he buried a rebound off a shot from Wallace. Clan forward Colby Liston scored his first of two goals in the game with 10 minutes left in the half, on a beautiful one-timer from Jaques. The Clan had a three-goal lead and outshot the Cougars 14–9 at the halfway point.
Both teams sat back for the start of the second half until Dhillon fired a shot off a Cougar defender in the 78th minute, he added another in the 89th minute. Liston added his second goal a minute later ending the match and putting the Cougars out of their misery. The final shot total was 23–9 in favour of the Clan. Dhillon earned Red Lion Offensive Player of the Week honours for his performance in these two games.
The first of three official NCAA west region soccer polls came out before the next game. The Clan is ranked number one, with their conference rivals, Seattle Pacific in second. They are the only two teams from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in the top six. The top six teams make it to the regional tournament. The Crusaders are two spots out, in eighth. The Clan also snagged GNAC Team of the Week honours.
The Clan set their sights on a grudge match with the Northwest Nazarene Crusaders in Idaho. The Crusaders handed the Clan their first loss in two years, 2–1 on Terry Fox Field, on Sept. 15. It was evident both teams were not going to back down. There were seven yellow cards given out by the referee; four went to the Clan.
The Clan once again dominated the shot total in the first half, 7–2, forcing Crusader goaltender Alfredo Ontiveros to make three saves. It was NNU who struck first, when Sal Sanchez put a shot from the 18-yard box into the back of the net. With the Clan trailing 1–0 at half time, they needed to dig deep to avoid an unprecedented second loss.
The Clan responded in the second half. For the third straight game, Winter opened the scoring for SFU when he redirected a cross from Basso to tie the game at ones. From then on, the Clan did not look back; Basso fired a shot from 20 yards out in the 72nd minute, putting in the right side of the net to give the Clan a 2–1 lead. It took four minutes for the Clan to pad their lead, when Chris Bargholz scored on a header on a cross from Jaques. The game finished 3–1 for the Clan.
The win gives the Clan a 6 point lead over the second place Crusaders in the conference. They are 13–1 overall and 9–1 in the conference after these three victories.
