Coming into the game with Seattle Pacific University (SPU), SFU was looking to get back on track after a close 1–0 loss to Western Washington. Their opponent was Seattle Pacific, a team with a 5–2–1 record, 2–1 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) play. It was a good test to see if SFU had a good enough squad to finish in a top four place. While Emma Pringle scored 41 seconds in for SFU, the team couldn’t build off the quick goal, losing 2–1.

“I think we had a strong start,” said head coach Annie Hamel after the game. “And then maybe we were successful too early, and became a little too complacent. We made errors that they capitalized on, and then we don’t on the other end. In this league you can’t make mistakes and not get punished, and can’t leave opportunities unfinished.”

You couldn’t ask for a better start for SFU in this one. Less than a minute in, Pringle scored for the Clan, a bullet shot from 25 yards out. It was the freshman’s fifth goal in seven games, and it looked like there was more to come for the team.

However, the first 20 minutes were the only ones where SFU dominated. In the 24th minute, Seattle Pacific tied it up. Although Priya Sandhu did well to keep the initial shot out, the Falcons’ Maddie Krauss buried the rebound to make it all tied at one.

They weren’t done there. Just before halftime, SPU got a weird goal. Miscommunication from the SFU team led to an errant touch by Teagan Sorokan, which bounced right over Sandhu’s head to make it 2–1. It proved to be the winning goal.

“They play the flick a lot,” said Hamel on the winning goal. “The girls know that, we watch film on them. We let them get into a foot race [. . .] That’s focus and awareness. Hopefully they learn something from it and they’re more aggressive defensively.”

Pringle continues to score at a torrid pace for SFU. While Pringle has been scoring regularly, though, the rest of the team has been in a scoring slump. Of the seven goals that SFU has scored so far, Pringle has five of them; co-captain Olivia Aguiar has the other two.

“Emma takes her chances and opportunities, and finishes them,” said Hamel on the concentration in scoring. “Other people [didn’t] finish in front of goal, [and] you can’t win in this league if you don’t finish.”

It was a tale of two different games for SFU volleyball. The Clan easily handled Alaska Fairbanks 3–1; however, the next night it was a completely different story. SFU was swept 3–0 by Alaska Anchorage, its first Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) loss of the year. SFU’s record is now 10–2 overall, and 3–1 in conference play.

The first game was a dominant affair in which SFU was fully expected to win. Coming in, Fairbanks held a 2–7 overall record, compared to SFU’s 9–1. The key to SFU’s win was the depth in the team’s attack. Four SFU players finished with double-digits in kills, compared to just one for Fairbanks. They were also dominant defensively, holding their opponents to just nine kills in the third set.

“I thought our offence did a good job on the sideout for the most part — we were able to use the right side with a lot of success,” head coach Gina Schmidt told SFU Athletics. “Our blocking did a pretty good job against their outside hitters for the most part.”

However, it was a different story the next night. Alaska Anchorage came into the match with an ever better record than SFU, as they were 13–1 and SFU was 10–1. It was going to be a battle of the titans, a matchup to see who was the early favourite to win the GNAC title.

SFU was thoroughly outplayed. The team was swept in three straight sets, losing 3–0. The Clan was not able to get to 20 kills or more in a set. Unlike the first game, no SFU player finished with more than 10 kills — the highest being Tessa May with nine. Libero Alison McKay finished with 28 digs on the night, her second highest of conference play after the game against Western Washington.

“Anchorage is a good team,” Schmidt said to SFU Athletics. “They executed on both sides of the ball, and we weren’t able to find enough answers. For us, the biggest problem offensively was our first contact, and the initial setup for an attack.”

SFU is now 3–1 in conference play, good for a tie in second place in the GNAC, alongside Central Washington and Concordia-Irvine. However, looking to the future, one has to be concerned if this team will continue its success beyond this season. Star setter Tamara Nipp is in her last year of eligibility, alongside Emma Jennings, Alison McKay, and Devon May. For this success to continue beyond the season, the program will need to find a way to replace these key contributors.

Last Week 7–9

Season 23–25

Back-to-back losing weeks has me under .500 for the first time this season. Buffalo really surprised me with a convincing win over Arizona, as did Philadelphia who crushed Pittsburgh at home. Minnesota looks like a Super Bowl contender after marching down to Carolina without Adrian Peterson and promptly thumping the now 1–2 Panthers. On the plus side, Washington did cash in on my upset special with a road win at the Giants. Let’s get to week four’s picks.

Byes this week: Philadelphia, Green Bay.

Miami (1–2) at Cincinnati (1–2), Thursday 5:25 p.m.

There is no way a stout Bengals team falls to 1–3 on the season against a Dolphins team that had to go to overtime to beat Cleveland at home. Bengals take a big early lead and weather a garbage time surge by Tannehill and company.

Prediction: Cincinnati 33 Miami 24

Indianapolis (1–2) vs. Jacksonville (0–3) in England, Sunday 6:30 a.m

There is nothing like trying to sell football in Europe with two uninspiring teams that compete in the worst division in football.

Prediction: Jacksonville 23 Indianapolis 20

Detroit (1–2) at Chicago (0–3), Sunday 10 a.m.

Chicago looks like the worst team in football and the Lions have looked good — on offence anyway. Stafford to Jones all day, baby.

Prediction: Lions 38 Bears 17

Carolina (1–2) at Atlanta (2–1), Sunday 10 a.m.

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is 44–22 in his career at home, and road wins are also very hard to come by in divisional play. I know the Panthers went 15–1 last year, but this isn’t last year. Panthers drop their second straight — this time in overtime.

Prediction: Atlanta 36 Carolina 30

Oakland (2–1) at Baltimore (3–0), Sunday 10 a.m.

I’ll take coach Harbaugh and Joe Flacco over the upstart Raiders in this one.

Prediction: Ravens 24 Raiders 17

Buffalo (1–2) at New England (3-0), Sunday 10 a.m.

Since 2000, the Patriots are 28–4 against the Bills. Bill’s coach Rex Ryan made a name for himself as coach of Jets by beating the Patriots several times in big games, but that success did not carry over to Buffalo last year even though the games were competitive. New England has looked dominant this season and will continue to roll in this lopsided rivalry with or without a healthy quarterback.

Prediction: Patriots 34 Bills 24

Cleveland (0–3) at Washington (1–2), Sunday 10 a.m.

After getting levelled the first game of the year, the Browns have played competitive football the last two weeks, losing by two points to Baltimore and in overtime to Miami. Back-to-back road games will be tough for this young team and Washington will play determined as they know they cannot afford a slip-up in this one. Washington will win despite more highlights from Browns multidimensional threat Terrelle Pryor.

Prediction: Washington 35 Cleveland 27

Tennessee (1–2) at Houston (2–1), Sunday 10 a.m.

No J.J. Watt, no problem. Look for a big game from the receiving duo of Deandre Hopkins and Will Fuller. The Texans stop the Titans’ run game and throw the ball down the field for the W in the land that gave us President W.

Prediction: Houston 31 Tennessee 21

Seattle (2–1) at New York Jets (1–2), Sunday 10 a.m.

Jets coach Todd Bowles knows the Seahawks well after his time coaching in Arizona. The Seahawks have to fly cross-country and star quarterback Russell Wilson is beat up. Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was absolutely awful last week throwing six — that’s not a typo — six interceptions. Jets bounce back with a big home victory.

Prediction: Jets 21 Seahawks 17

Denver (3–0) at Tampa Bay (1–2), Sunday 1:05 p.m.

Is this a trap game for the Super Bowl Champs? Not this week. Broncos surge to 4–0 as 2015 seventh round pick Trevor Siemian continues to develop. Broncos win in a game with more points than expected.

Prediction: Denver 34 Tampa Bay 26

Los Angeles (2–1) at Arizona (1–2), Sunday 1:25 p.m.

Upset special! Arizona is reeling after an ugly road loss against a previously winless Bills team. Coach Bruce Arians is not happy and went so far as to punish his long snapper by cutting him for an errant snap last week. This is a veteran team with high expectations that can either right the ship this week or tumble into uncertainty. The Rams always play well in their division and beat the Cardinals last year coincidentally in week four. The Rams defence and special teams do just enough to beat the Cardinals on the road.

Prediction: Rams 31 Cardinals 28

Dallas (2–1) at San Francisco (1–2), Sunday 1:25 p.m.

In the mid-1990s these Conference rivals were the two best teams in football. Now San Francisco’s most dynamic player is their backup quarterback. The Cowboys are contenders and prove it with a statement game on the road.

Prediction: Dallas 28 San Francisco 18

Kansas City (2–1) at Pittsburgh (2–1), Sunday 5:30 p.m.

Watch out, Kansas City. Le’Veon Bell is back from suspension and ready to show the league that he is the best running back in football. Will injured Chiefs star Jamaal Charles return to duel with Bell in this primetime matchup? With or without Charles the Steelers make enough plays to best a worthy opponent.

Prediction: Steelers 24 Chiefs 20

New York Giants (2–1) at Minnesota (3–0), Monday 5:30 p.m.

The Minnesota Vikings have victories this season over the highly touted Packers and Panthers.  Their defence and special teams have been outstanding. This matchup between two potential playoff teams will not be as close as it may seem on paper. The Vikings frustrate Odell Beckham Jr., and Eli Manning has one of those off-days with multiple turnovers as the Vikings continue to dominate.

Prediction: Minnesota 24 Giants 12

GAME OF THE WEEK:

New Orleans (0–3) at San Diego (1–2), Sunday 1:25 p.m.

Drew Brees travels to San Diego for the first time since the Chargers elected not to resign him after the 2005 season. Brees has been phenomenal this season and is on a pace for another 5,000-yard season. However, the team’s defence is atrocious, which is the primary reason for their 0–3 start. The Chargers meanwhile could very well be 3–0 if they didn’t cough up fourth quarter leads in both of their losses. Quarterback Philip Rivers has played very well despite losing weapons Keenan Allen and Danny Woodhead to season ending injuries. This game has shoot-out written all over it and should be a great game to watch. Look for the Chargers to rush for over 200 yards but for Brees to eclipse 400 in a triumphant victory over his former team.

Prediction: New Orleans 46 San Diego 39

SFU won the coin toss. Having chosen to defer, SFU nonetheless started on offence after recovering the Azusa Pacific fumble. Going for it on fourth and six, quarterback Miles Richardson was rewarded when freshman receiver Gavin Cobb caught the 36 yard pass for a touchdown. Just 1:20 in, SFU was up 7–0.

Saturday night on the road versus the GNAC-leading Azusa Pacific, the Clan’s fortunes seemed to have changed. 0–3 so far, and outscored 171–34 in the three games prior, it looked like they might have a chance at their first win since October 2014.

Their first shot on defence was actually relatively successful. Considering that in each of the previous games SFU allowed a touchdown on their opponents first offensive drives, holding Azusa to three points was an accomplishment. But the fact that Azusa even got three points was a sign of what was to come.

“We would have actually got off the field, they were fourth and four. We stopped them, but we had a defensive player line up offside which gave them a first down,” said head coach Kelly Bates. “So even then, we shot ourselves in the foot and given them the ability to go down and get that first field goal.”

Then on SFU’s next drive, during the punt attempt the snap was “handled errantly,” resulting in a turnover on downs, with Azusa gaining good field position. On SFU’s 28 yard line, Azusa needed just one pass attempt to make the touchdown and take the lead, which they would hold for the rest of the game.

Though the first quarter would end with SFU down only 10–7, Azusa’s lead ballooned in the second and third quarter with scores of 31–0 and 23–0, and the game ended 64–14.

“Well, right now we are not playing mistake-free football, and when mistakes compound themselves, it’s very tough to overcome,” said Bates. “Azusa Pacific was very disciplined team that played very hard. When they don’t make mistakes and we make too many it’s very tough to compete.”

The Clan’s only other solace came in the fourth quarter. Richardson made another 36 yard touchdown pass, with this one going to Justin Buren. SFU held Azusa scoreless for the quarter (of course with the caveat that it was unlikely that Azusa was putting out their best effort or players at this point — they played total of three quarterbacks, two of which put up over 170 passing yards each.)

“I’m not really about inspiring them, I’m about showing them the reality of our situation.”

If you look just at his passing yards — 224 — Richardson didn’t have a bad night, but two interceptions, nine sacks, and 80 yards lost tell a different story.

Buren was similarly effective as last week putting up 100 yards receiving. Cobb put up 57 yards receiving, while freshman Tom Franklin put up 45. Running back Jalen Jana led the running game with 41 yards.

Ante Litre, who is first on the depth chart in the running back position, did not play for the second straight week. Litre, who The Province’s Howard Tsumura reported was injured in the season opener versus Idaho State, returned to play against Texas A&M Kingsville but has not played since.

Bates was blunt about the challenges the team has faced at the beginning of the season, and what he has to do as coach.

“I’m not really about inspiring them, I’m about showing them the reality of our situation. The reality is that we played two Division I level teams to start the year off with a roster that is undermanned and undersized still due to the coaching carousel that was up here for a few years and we’re going to be recovering from that for the next two to three years — [. . ] it’s a process that’s going to take a while,” he explained.

“From there, when you come off those two games with the physical toll your body takes — both of them being on the road — and then play the two top teams in your conference, you haven’t set yourself up for success with your schedule.”

So far, SFU has struggled, perhaps even more so than last year. Last season, the team was able to appear competitive for much of their games, and lost on average by 19.2 points per game and lost two games by a single digit margin. This year, they have not lost one game by less than 32 points.

While Azusa (3-0 in GNAC play) and Humboldt State (last week’s opponent) are probably the GNAC’s toughest teams, any comfort gained from the fact that SFU has already faced them is erased when you realize that SFU has to play both of them again (the GNAC only has five teams).

Still, Bates wants to look at the positives.

“[These are] great opportunities for us to measure ourselves and really great opportunities to see what we’re made of in terms of dealing with adversity and you really won’t have that answer until many games down the road, this year or maybe in the next year, whether we faced that adversity properly and were able to grow from it,” he said.

“When you’re still trying to build that belief in yourself that you can do it, you tend to be fragile.”

THIS SATURDAY: SFU hosts the Central Washington Wildcats (1–1 in GNAC play). Last season, the Clan lost to the Wildcats 40–7 and 30–24 (which tied for SFU’s closest game last season). Last Saturday, Central Washington beat Dixie State 40–18 in a non-conference game.

Central Washington has an effective run game leading the GNAC in rushing yards, averaging 182.2 yards per game.

“Central [Washington] is not an overly complicated team in anything they do, however, they’re going to line up and smack you in the mouth as hard as they can. They’re very physical, they’re very aggressive, they finish every play right up to the whistle and they want to impose their will on you,” said Bates. “So for us to have success against this team we’re going to have to be very smart football players, we’re going to have to play very technically sound, and we’re going to have to bring the pitbull in ourselves out in order to compete with the aggressiveness.”

The game will be a homecoming celebration, with the game taking place at Terry Fox Field instead of Swangard Stadium. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.

It was only a preseason game. However, a 6–1 defeat — especially to perhaps your biggest rivals, and the team that knocked the Clan unceremoniously out of the playoffs last season — raises some concerns heading into BC Intercollegiate Hockey League play on October 7.

“I think overall the effort was poor,” said head coach Mark Coletta afterwards. “Everything was poor on our front. We’ve got some work to do.”

What made this game so perplexing from an SFU perspective is how it started. The first period was uneventful: shots were just 6–5 at the end of the period, and the only real scoring chance was from new captain Brandon Tidy.

However, it was all Trinity Western in the second. In a vastly different period, there were four breakaways early on, two for either side, and both of SFU’s were for newcomer Daniell Lange. However, a knuckler from Spartans defender Kenny Batke fooled Jordan Liem, opening the floodgates for four more goals. The second and third goals, as well as the fourth and fifth, came within one minute of each other.

“Everything was poor on our front. We’ve got some work to do.”

The third saw SFU get a goal, courtesy of Tidy. He was able to break Trinity Western’s shutout at the 8:15 mark of the period.

“[Mak] Barden and [Jaret] Babych had two good minutes behind the net,” said Tidy on what led to his goal. “[So] when me and [Graham] Smerek went out there, we had five tired Spartans and we took advantage.”

The third also had a couple of big scrums. The first saw a Trinity Western player get into a fight with SFU goalie Lyndon Stanwood. He was helped off the ice afterwards and as of publication time there is no update on his status from Coletta. The second one involved Trinity Western’s goalie Lucas Mills, who skated out of his crease after a stoppage in play to confront an SFU skater. Both came with under two minutes to go. It’s another chapter in an intense rivalry between the two teams.

“We had a good discussion after the game about how to act, how to conduct yourself not only as an athlete but as an individual,” said Coletta after the game. “I think sometimes emotions get the better of guys. We don’t condone any of that garbage. If somebody wants to fight one on one because somebody instigates our goalie that’s great. I think one-on-one fights are a part of hockey. All the other stuff is not condoned by us.

“A loss is a loss, it’s easy to look behind and go forward,” said Tidy on what the team needs to do for future games. “We can’t dwell on a 6–1 exhibition loss, that’s not going to be any good. Just have a hard week of practice and see what we can do.”

SFU’s next home game is October 15 against Selkirk College. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. at Bill Copeland.