When it comes to SFU men’s soccer, the question isn’t about if the team will have success, it’s about how much success.
Even before they hit the pitch, the Clan succeeded in claiming the top spot of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) coaches’ poll for the fourth consecutive year. This is the fruit of what was a considerably staggering season of success last year, during when the team led the nation in points (211) and broke a GNAC goal scoring record with a tally of 77.
Now, after the first week of training, the squad has hit the ground running with wins in all three pre-season matches. After just their first day of training, the Clan battled well in their early test against Kwantlen the following day, notching five goals and successfully maintaining a shutout.
“We are always glad when we win, [. . .] but there are times that show we have work to do.”
The Clan continued on the right foot with two more victories against University of Saskatchewan, the first a 4-1 result at home before battling to a 1-0 result two days later versus the Huskies. For head coach Alan Koch, it remains business as usual, as he is both modest and hopeful for a repeat of seasons past.
“We are always glad when we win, but you can tell it’s still early days because we’ve showed some good glimpses of what we can do, but there are times that show we have work to do.”
The repeat Coach of the Year hopes to quickly gel together a new look squad, which will include the return of eight starters from last season. Returning are GNAC Defender of the Year Alex Rowley, GNAC Newcomer of the Year Magnus Kristensen, and a trio of captains in midfielder Jovan Blagojevic, defender Alex Kleefeldt, and goalkeeper Brandon Watson.
“This year we have less holes to fill, but more depth in the quality of the recruited class coming in,” said Koch. “All three of our captains played major minutes and major roles last year. All are different personas in separate positions so they compliment each other very well and it’s great to have leaders in different positions.”
A formidable set of newcomers will grace the field for SFU this season, and the competition for spots will be a great fuel for success. Pascal Schmidt joins the team after playing at home in Germany for the VFB Stuttgart youth team; fellow countryman Kleefeldt will surely be a great mentor as the two players take hold in defence.
The local talents of goalkeeper Christian Zimmerman (Delta) and striker Michael North (Coquitlam) will further reinforce the side. Both players come from Mountain United FC, where Zimmerman starred for the U-18 squad, and North scored 17 goals in 15 appearances for the U-17 team.
The Clan will aim for a third consecutive NCAA final four appearance and a fifth straight GNAC title this season, as they hope to continue their dominance in the NCAA.
The Clan play their first home game against the Sonoma State Seawolves on Thursday, September 4 at 7:30 p.m.
