By: Kaja Antic, Sports Writer
On Thursday, October 19, both SFU soccer teams avoided adding a tally to the loss column with a 7–1 victory for the men, and a 1–1 draw for the women. Both matchups were against Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) rivals south of the border in Washington State.
The men’s team played earlier in the mid-afternoon, with the match beginning at Saints Field in Lacey, Washington. The excitement for the Red Leafs began nearly 20 minutes in when forward Michael Hennessy scored his first goal of the match.
Hennessy, a freshman, ended up scoring five goals in the 7–1 SFU win against the Saints, doubling his goal total for the season to 10. He previously scored one goal against the Saints in a 5–0 win at SFU’s Terry Fox Field on September 30.
Quickly after his first goal, Hennessy scored again a minute later on a pass by forward Devin O’Hea to make the game 2–0 for SFU.
O’Hea extended SFU’s lead to three in the 27th minute, assisted by fellow senior, defender Niko Papakyriakopoulos. This was O’Hea’s sixth goal of the season, continuing his six-game scoring streak that began with a 2–2 draw against Western Oregon on September 28.
Halfway through the 36th minute, the Saints notched their only goal of the match past goalkeeper Justyn Sandhu. Sandhu would only be challenged a handful of times throughout the game, making two saves on seven of the Saints shot attempts.
Beginning the second half, Hennessy completed the hat trick, scoring his third goal of the game unassisted in the 51st minute. Four minutes later, Hennessy scored his fourth of the game, assisted again by O’Hea.
In the 60th minute, Hennessy scored his fifth and final goal of the match, assisted by midfielder Ali Zohar. After scoring three goals in a span of less than 10 minutes, Hennessy was substituted off the pitch and replaced by freshman midfielder Devi Romero.
The excitement for the Red Leafs did not end there, as freshman Ryan Torres scored his first goal for SFU in the 87th minute, assisted by junior Nicolai Placzek, to make the final score 7–1.
SFU’s men’s soccer team now leads the GNAC standings, with an overall record of eight wins, two losses, and two draws, including a perfect record against conference opponents. Following the win against Saint Martin’s, SFU powers forward on a five-game winning streak.
As for the Red Leafs women’s soccer team, their match began the same evening at Tomlinson Stadium in Ellensburg, Washington. Though not the same high-scoring result as the men’s game halfway across the state, the women’s team earned a key point in a draw against Central Washington University.
The game remained scoreless for most of the match, with the first goal coming for SFU in the 80th minute by sophomore winger, Kaiden Sherwood — though the Wildcats followed up quickly after.
SFU women’s soccer ranks fourth in the GNAC standings, with an overall record of four wins, four losses, and three draws, with a 3–4–2 record against conference opponents. With the tie against Central Washington, the women’s team earned their 11th point of the season.
