SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific University men's soccer team opened Great Northwest Athletic Conference play on Thursday at home as they hosted Western Oregon. The Falcons found the back of the net twice in the first half and went on to beat the Wolves 2-0.
The Falcons welcomed the Wolves to Interbay for the first time in history. This season is the first for Western Oregon men's soccer. The Falcons controlled the first meeting between the two teams, owning advantages in shots (14-4), corners (11-1), and eventually, points scored.
"Today was great because we kept a clean sheet," head coach Kevin Sakuda said. "We scored two goals on set pieces, I think the goals in the run of play are coming. I think we're going to put ourselves in position for those set pieces, and to be able to take advantage of those is huge. It was a great way to start conference play."
The Falcons earned a corner kick in the 29th minute. Orlando Erazo stood over it before launching the ball into the box. Alex Brown appeared near the back post, scoring in the top right corner to put the Falcons up 1-0. The goal was the first of his career.
SPU added to their lead late in the first half. Connor Tollan lined up a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box. The ball found its way to Donovahn Allen, who used his head to bounce the ball into the goal, putting the Falcons up 2-0. Allen scored his second goal in as many games against the Wolves.
Ed Weise, Evan Aune, Aidan Thrall, and the rest of the Falcon's defense played well. They held the Wolves to just four shots, with none coming on goal. Lars Helleren spent all 90 minutes in goal for the Falcons, picking up his third clean sheet of the season.
"Overall, it was a great team effort," Sakuda added. "We would have liked to get one more in the second half and expand that lead a little bit. Again, we kept a clean sheet and I'm happy with that."
The Falcons continue their opening weekend of GNAC play on the road on Saturday. They'll be in Billings, Mont. for a match against MSUB at 2:30 p.m. PST.
