26MSOC_Lear_Straight
Kevin Swartout
Hugh Lear and Judah Straight celebrate a goal scored by the SPU men's soccer team
1
Simon Fraser SFU (5-3-5, 3-1-2)
3
Winner Seattle Pacific SPU (11-2-1, 4-1-1)
Simon Fraser SFU
(5-3-5, 3-1-2)
1
Final
3
Seattle Pacific SPU
(11-2-1, 4-1-1)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Simon Fraser SFU 1 0 1
Seattle Pacific SPU 1 2 3

Game Recap: #13 Men's Soccer |

13th-Ranked Falcons Take Over First Place with 3-1 Win Over Red Leafs

SEATTLE – The 13th-ranked Seattle Pacific University men's soccer team rallied from an early deficit Thursday evening to defeat Simon Fraser 3-1, with goals from JP Guzman, Hugh Lear, and Judah Straight completing the comeback and lifting the Falcons into sole possession of first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings.

FROM THE COACH

"It was a really strong performance from the guys tonight," head coach Kevin Sakuda said. "We talked before the game about not playing to protect our position in the league, but instead doubling down on the things that got us here in the first place. I thought the guys did exactly that.  Really proud of the performance tonight."

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • The Red Leafs broke a scoreless tie in the 35th minute, as Shahbod Jafary scored off an assist from Koji Poon.

  • The Falcons answered in the final minute of the first half, as Guzman tied it 1-1 off a Harper Sabari assist.

  • Lear put the Falcons ahead for good in the 79th minute with an absolute rocket, scoring off an assist from Straight.

  • Rafael Lucio and Lucas Witthauer strung together passes that led to the match-sealing goal from Straight in the 87th minute.

FROM THE BOX SCORE

  • Straight tied Guzman with a game-high four shots while adding a goal and an assist.

  • Guzman had four shots to go with his goal, while Lear scored on his only shot of the match.

  • Witthauer and Sabari each recorded an assist in minutes off the bench for the Falcons.

  • Willem Ficek played all 90 minutes in goal and made three saves.

  • The Falcons out-shot the Red Leafs 21-12 overall, with five shots on goal to the Red Leafs four.

  • The Falcons controlled the corner kick battle 11-4.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

  • The Falcons trailed the Red Leafs by one point in the GNAC standings entering the match.

    • With tonight's 3-1 victory over SFU, SPU moves into first place in the GNAC standings with five matches left in the regular season.

  • Guzman netted his fourth goal of the season.

  • Lear scored his first career goal for the Falcons in just his second appearance for SPU.

  • Straight's goal was his fourth of the season, while his assist totals rose to three in 2026.

UP NEXT

The Falcons host rival Western Washington on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. at Interbay Soccer Stadium.

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