Tuesday, November 5, 2013

PORTLAND, Ore. – With arguably its toughest match of the season at hand, Simon Fraser came through in the clutch as the Clan defeated Seattle Pacific 1-0 in double overtime on Saturday. The victory ensured SFU’s fourth-straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference title, and simultaneously paid back the Falcons for an earlier defeat this season.

Simon Fraser moved up one spot to No. 2 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America national rankings, and has solidified a path to the 2013 postseason.

Despite scoring just two goals last week, the Clan is tied for first in the NCAA in scoring offense (3.65), and is second in points per game (9.94) and total points (169). SFU is also the top-ranked GNAC team in terms of shutout percentage, as it checked in tied for 11th across Division II (.53).

Individually, Northwest Nazarene forward Fredy Razo jumped back into the top 30 in several offensive categories as he now ranks No. 25 in goals per game (.80) and is tied for 28th in total goals with 12. 

RECAP

While the 1-0 win over Seattle Pacific (11-2-3, 9-1-3) was certainly the biggest of the season for Simon Fraser (15-1-1, 11-1-1 GNAC), it was not the only 1-0 result of the week for the Clan. SFU also battled Saint Martin’s to the same ending score, playing with 10 men for the final 20 minutes of the match.

Seattle Pacific (11-2-3, 9-1-3) won a crucial match over Western Washington (10-4-3, 8-2-3) on Thursday, pushing its unbeaten streak to 15 and giving the Falcons momentum heading into the game against SFU.

Three goals from Northwest Nazarene's (4-7-5, 4-6-3) Razo were a welcome sight for the Crusaders, who had gone scoreless in their previous three matches. Razo’s goal against the University of Mary (2-10-3, 2-8-3) on Thursday wasn’t enough as NNU fell in overtime, but his two tallies against South Dakota Mines (0-15-1, 0-12-1) pushed his team to a 2-0 victory.

Montana State Billings (3-9-5, 3-6-4) scored just one goal last week, as a 67th-minute tally from Thorge Jess helped the Yellowjackets salvage a point with a 1-1 double overtime draw against SD Mines. 

AHEAD

GNAC play wraps up this Saturday, with SFU taking on WWU in a matinee matchup at 7 p.m. in Bellingham, Wash. Seattle Pacific travels to Cal Baptist for a non-conference road match on Wednesday, and plays at Saint Martin’s on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Falcons can only hope that a pair of victories this week would keep them within the top-six in the NCAA West Region rankings. 

MSU Billings wraps up its season against NNU in Nampa, while Mary heads south to take on SD Mines in Rapid City.