The SFU men’s soccer season came to an end Saturday night in a border battle against the Vikings of Western Washington University (WWU). The Vikings made their short trip from Bellingham to play the Clan for their second meeting this season. However, an eerie fog prevented visibility and postponed the start of the game for a full hour.
Seniors Shane Satar, Callum Whittaker, and Alex Rowley played their final game for SFU, making the team’s victory that much sweeter. All three seniors will walk away from the program with decorated careers.
“Callum, Shane, and Rowley are testament team guys,” said coach Schneider following the 2–0 victory. “They give everything they can for the team. They work hard in training and really have helped establish a culture for our younger players.”
SFU’s defense dominated the start of the game, as most of the match was played in Vikings territory. Senior defenders Satar and Whittaker made sure the Vikings felt their presences early and often during the first period.
“I think as the season went on we got stronger and stronger on defense,” reflected Schneider. “This was the first time in a long time that we haven’t conceded a goal at home, so credit to the guys [. . .] they deserved it tonight.”
However, a broken play in the 16th minute allowed for a WWU breakaway in which midfielder Conner Pichette took a close shot goal, but was blocked by Clan goalkeeper Brandon Watson.
The Clan responded in the 21st minute, when Kyle Jones scored on a long shot assisted by both Adam Jones and Mamadi Camara. Jones finished the season leading the Clan in points with a total of 22, followed by Camara and Kyle Jones with 11 points each.
“Callum, Shane and Rowley are testament team guys. They give everything they can for the team” – Head Coach Clint Schneider
Things remained chippy between the two teams as the referee was forced to issue yellow cards to WWU’s Stark Wesley and SFU’s Pascal Schmidt for physical misconduct in the 24th minute.
SFU continued to dominate the first period, giving up only two total shots compared to 11 shots of their own. The second period played out in similar fashion, as SFU continued to maintain possession of the ball for most of the game. The Clan was able to rally once more and put up an additional score in the 58th minute thanks to a shot by Michael North, assisted by James Fraser and defenseman Whittaker.
WWU almost brought the game within reach in the 73rd minute with a very close shot on goal; however, Watson was there to make the key save. He finished the season with 44 saves and a save percentage of .786. Tensions rose further as a yellow card was issued only a minute later to WWU’s Derek Zimmerman. Callum Whittaker received a yellow card of his own in the 89th minute.
The men’s soccer program will take a short rest, but will be back preparing for the challenges of next season “right away,” according to coach Schneider. Despite narrowly missing a spot in the NCAA tournament, it was another successful season for the program.
