By: Victor Gouchee
At Interbay Stadium, home of the Seattle Pacific Falcons (SPU), the 2017 Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) season began between the two heavyweights: SFU and SPU. The match began in a hectic manner with neither team controlling the ball for extended periods of time. After eventually settling into the match after several minutes, both teams began to look comfortable. The game was fairly even in terms of possession, but the Clan had the edge in shots.
For the first time all season, SFU conceded the first goal. In the 22nd minute, SPU’s Jess Cayetano got onto the end of a cross from teammate Gabriel Weber and volleyed past Miguel Hof, the Clan’s goaltender, from about eight yards out.
After halftime, SFU began to threaten the Falcons’ goal even more, and in about the 65th minute, Adam Jones scored for the Clan after heading in a cross from Michael North. The game would stay that way for the remainder of the match. Even after two periods of sudden-death overtime, the match ended 1–1.
“[It’s] always difficult on the road in the GNAC,” head coach Clint Schneider commented. “SPU is always a good side and well-coached . . . I am proud of the way we played, but we know we have to get better and we have to learn to finish chances.”
In the season opener, SFU smashed eight goals past the University of Mary. In the four games since, the Clan has only scored six times. It’s not a low statistic by any means, but when you consider the high standards set by the Clan, it has not been good enough as of late. This, however, is a way to tell a good team from an average one; they find ways to win. Not every game can be as perfect as the 8–0 season opener, but take last week’s match versus Cal Poly Pomona, and you’ll see that SFU found a way to win when luck was not in their favour.
Clint Schneider goes on to mention that he does not believe his team had an off day, but rather were too direct at times, not keeping the ball as well as they should have.
“We know we have to be better in the final third, or we will never reach the level that we want to be at,” he noted.
With the draw, Simon Fraser is now 4–0–1 on the season. The Clan will look to bounce back with goals galore this September 23 on SFU’s own Terry Fox Field at 7 p.m., where they’ll take on the Saint Martin’s Saints in both teams’ second GNAC game of the season.
