The Simon Fraser men’s soccer team went into Thursday’s afternoon game against Montana State University Billings (MSUB) in Billings, Montana riding a five-game winning streak which saw them take sole possession of first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC). The last two games saw Matteo Polisi score late goals against Western Washington and Saint Martin’s for two huge wins. Unfortunately, this trend came to an abrupt end in Montana, where they lost 2–1.
Things started well for the Clan, however, as Mamadi Camara continued his run of strong form with a goal in the 30th minute. After winning the ball off of a MSUB defender, he dribbled into the box and slid the ball past the MSUB goalkeeper for his fourth goal of the season. This gave SFU a 1–0 lead, which would be short-lived as Guillaume Kremer scored a 25-yard free kick for the Yellowjackets only eight minutes later. The teams would head into the half tied 1–1.
In the second half, SFU had difficulty creating offensive chances, as they didn’t put their first attempt on net until a header from Camara was placed wide off of a corner in the 65th minute. Before then, however, MSUB took the lead after Victor Sanchez finished off a cross from six yards out. The Clan have not trailed often this season, but they were unable to even the score before the final whistle blew.
As discussed on the CJSF Sports Report, Montana State is known for being a tough place to play. When asked about this, head coach Clint Schneider responded, “It’s a tough place to play because we made it a tough place to play by not playing well.”
The Clan attempted a total of six shots in the match with four of them on target, while the Yellowjackets attempted five shots with three on target. SFU also had the only two corners of the game, but were unable to capitalize on either attempt.
After the game, Schneider told The Peak, “All aspects [of our game] have to be better.”
Even with the loss, SFU is still in possession of first place in the GNAC. Their 6–2–1 conference record has them at 19 points, tied with Seattle Pacific (6–3–1, one more game played) and two points ahead of second place Western Washington (5–2–2). Three games remain on the season, with November 2’s matchup against Western Washington looking the most intriguing. Before then, however, the Clan will look to get back to their winning ways against Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho. The Nighthawks sit at fifth in the conference with a 3–4–2 record.
As for what the men’s soccer team need to do in order to secure the title, Schneider kept it simple: “Win.”
