By: Victor Gouchee
Our SFU men’s soccer team started the season off with a flurry of goals and contributions from everyone with seven different names on the score sheet. Last week, they defeated the University of Mary Marauders comfortably with an 8–0 victory.
This week the Clan was in Montana to face Cal State San Bernardino (CSU). Cal State is a better ranked opponent than University of Mary, and that could explain why the game appeared much closer on paper. SFU still managed to begin the game quickly by scoring in the eighth minute after senior defender Pascal Schmidt scored off of a cross from senior midfielder Adam Jones.
The Clan continued to dominate the first half with a total of six shots to CSU’s zero. In the 38th minute, SFU scored again thanks to the connection of two sophomores, as Rahid Rahiem got onto the end of a Riley Pang cross to make it 2–0 at the half.
The second half saw SFU continue to dominate the possession, leading CSU in shots (13–4) and corner kicks (4–2) as well. The goals would not fall for the Clan like their previous game, however, with several of their chances being missed. A few of those missed chances could have cost SFU, since in the 86th minute, CSU got on the board with a counterattack and a ball played across the box for a tap-in finish.
That is as close as CSU would come as the Clan bunkered down and held onto a 2–1 victory to remain perfect on the season.
“We are glad to come away with a result against a team that is way better than their record would indicate,” said SFU head coach Clint Schneider. “We learned a lot about ourselves and how to close games out. It wasn’t our best effort, but I think we did enough. We will enjoy the win and get back at it tomorrow.”
The Clan is currently ranked number three in the entirety of NCAA DII. With a win in their next match, the Clan could move up even higher. Last season, SFU was in the number two spot for the majority of the season.
Next up for SFU is a tough match against Cal Poly Pomona, the very team that knocked SFU out of the National Tournament last season and made the national final the season before last. This match is scheduled for Sunday in Billings, Montana.
