Nampa, ID – The SFU Clan men’s soccer team played the second game of their road trip this afternoon in Nampa, ID against the Northwest Nazarene University Crusaders.  The men’s game kicked off shortly after the SFU women’s team dropped a heartbreaking 1-0 decision to the women’s Crusaders.  The men’s game reflected the women’s in some ways, as the first goal of the game didn’t come until the second overtime in the 101st minute of the game.  Unlike the women’s game though, it was SFU that scored late, giving the men a 1-0 victory.  With the win, the Clan improves to 7-0-0 on the season (3-0-0 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play) while NNU falls to 3-4-1 on the year (0-4-0 in GNAC competition).

Neither team could find any offense for most of the afternoon.  In the first half neither goalie was forced to make a save.  The Clan did outshoot NNU 2-1 and took the only corner kick of the opening half.

There were not many more opportunities in the second half.  The Clan did outshoot the Crusaders by a count of seven to four.  NNU goaltender Zander Engeman had to make four saves in the second half while Clan goalie Sheldon Steenhuis (Morgan Hill, CA) made two saves to keep the score tied at 0-0.

The Clan continued to generate the most opportunities in overtime.  While their first shot in the 92nd minute of overtime was stopped, Carlo Basso (Coquitlam, BC) finally broke the deadlock with the Clan’s second shot of overtime in the 101st minute of the game.  Basso headed the ball in off a cross from Justin Wallace (Kamloops, BC) from four yards out to give SFU the victory.

“Today was a classic example of how tough the GNAC conference is,” said Head Coach Alan Koch after the game.  “After a tough game in Montana, a long road-trip to Idaho, and the soaring heat today, it’s very rewarding to be able to put away a tough conference opponent in double OT.  I give full credit to NNU for their fight today.  Our guys got a little frustrated at not being able to score during the initial 90 minutes, but our depth and patience paid off. Justin and Carlo were both relatively fresh and came off the bench at the start of the second overtime period to combine for a special goal to finish off an absorbing encounter.  We are ecstatic to come away from this road-trip with the full six points.”

SFU outshot NNU 11-5 on the afternoon.  Engeman made four saves in goal for the Crusaders while Steenhuis made two saves in the Clan net for the shutout. 

The Clan will now travel back to Burnaby to prepare for their next match.  The team’s next game will be played on Thursday afternoon at 3:00 PM against the Saint Mary’s Saints in Lacey, WA.