SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific University men's soccer team welcomed Simon Fraser to Interbay Stadium on a cold Saturday night, as two goals in the first half from the Red Leafs forced the Falcons into a patient, methodical comeback attempt, but they feel just short by a score of 2-1.
"This sport can be frustrating at times," head coach Kevin Sakuda said. "Credit to Simon Fraser for making it difficult on us. I was proud of the effort and performance from our guys. Overall we played well, but it was just two moments that became the difference."
The Falcons were stunned by an early goal from the Red Leafs in the 6th minute. Alan Camacho Soto gathered the ball near midfield before launching a shot on goal. The ball floated over a leaping Lars Helleren to put the Red Leafs up 1-0.
The early lead for SFU allowed them to pack in defensively. The Falcons were content to possess the ball before finding the shot they wanted.
The Red Leafs were attacking in the 39th minute and worked their way into the box. Evan Aune challenged aggressively, tripping up the Red Leaf which led to a penalty kick. Mark Talisuna was able to score it, giving his team a 2-0 lead.
Patience paid off for the Falcons in the 70th minute. Connor Tollan worked the ball toward the end line inside the box. He crossed a ball in front of the goal that the Red Leaf keeper tried to punch away. The ball skimmed off his fist and found the head of Ed Weise. Weise put the ball away, trimming the Red Leafs' lead to 2-1.
One of the biggest chances of the match came in the 87th minute. The Falcons had a corner and played it short to Alden Massey. He created space and sent one in with his left foot from the top right corner of the 18-yard box. Demian Alvarez got a head on it but missed just right. The score remained at 2-1 with less than four minutes to play.
Throughout the match, the Falcons created nine corner kicks to just two from the Red Leafs. The Falcons also owned a massive 17-3 advantage in shots during the match.
"The guys played great," Sakuda added. "We told them we wanted to keep the ball moving and things would open up. Guys found a good balance of being patient and finding the moments we needed to go. We got that first one and pressure switched to them, but we just couldn't find that second goal."
The Falcons are back in one week, as they host Western Washington at 7 p.m. for senior night.
