By: Victor Gouchee
Last season saw SFU clinch their first Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) in two seasons. At the beginning of this current season, the Clan were unanimous favourites to repeat as GNAC champions. After a less-than-ideal road trip last week which saw SFU drop five of a possible six points in Montana and Idaho, the Clan found themselves in second place behind rivals Seattle Pacific.
In order for the Clan to repeat as champions, they would need to beat Western Washington on Thursday night and tie or win against Seattle Pacific on Saturday. Flash forward to Thursday night, and the game is forced to be postponed due to snow atop Burnaby Mountain. The game is to be rescheduled to Sunday. Therefore, SFU could win the GNAC title with a winner-take-all match on Saturday night between first place Seattle Pacific and second place SFU on Terry Fox Field.
Two notable absentees for SFU are the Jones brothers, who missed the match due to non-serious injuries. Both players will be looking to be back on the pitch in the next few weeks.
On a freezing cold night on Burnaby Mountain with snow surrounding the field, the contest began slowly and fairly even as both teams shared possession and no real chances at goal for either side. The Clan struck first in the eleventh minute as defenders Magnus Kristensen and Michael North combined down the left flank and North found forward Mamadi Camara inside the box where he made no mistake and buried the ball from close distance.
The score would stay that way right up until halftime. As the second half began, the Falcons came out on the front foot, dominating possession and chances. The Clan would eventually find their legs and begin to create chances of their own. As the teams would trade chances back and forth, it was eventually the Clan who would strike again as Camara would get his second of the contest in the 89th minute to seal the win for the Clan. SFU goalkeeper Miguel Hof was forced into action several times throughout the contest, racking up eight saves on road to a shutout.
SFU would go on to win the contest 2–0, meaning they are in fact the 2017 GNAC champions.
With the title clinched, SFU receives an automatic birth into the NCAA National Tournament. The selection show is set to go down on Monday, November 6. Last season, SFU was unable to host their playoff game due to them being the only Canadian team in the NCAA. Having to play their match away from home proved to be detrimental for the Clan. Let’s hope for this year to be different.
