Box Score Burnaby, BC - A large crowd was on hand for the Simon Fraser University Clan men's soccer teams non-conference opener against the Sonoma State Seawolves on Thursday night, as the Clan shut out Sonoma, 3-0.

The Clan scored three times in an 11-minute span midway through the first half to secure the win.

"I'm very happy to win the first game," said Head Coach Alan Koch. "The first game is normally one of the tougher games you play because you don't know what you're going to get from your own group and it's tough to get a good scout on the team you're playing against. We scheduled a game against a tough team and they made it difficult for us. We're obviously very happy to get a positive result. I told the team at halftime to keep working hard and don't think the game is over, which it certainly wasn't. Sonoma came out strong in the second half and gave us a good run for our money." 

Alexander Kleefeldt (Frankfurt, Germany) opened the scoring in the 16th minute off a corner kick and just over two minutes later, Ryan Dhillon (North Delta, BC) scored an unassisted goal to make it 2-0.

With an assist going to senior Jovan Blagojevic (Coquitlam, BC), Niko Schroettle (Dunauworth, Germany) got his first goal with the Clan in 27th minute on a tip in on a free kick.

Sonoma almost got on the board with time winding down in the first half when Zanin Mahic was awarded a penalty kick in the 40th minute but Clan goalkeeper was up to the challenge, making the save to keep the shut out in tact.

"It's good to get the win and I thought we played well," said Watson. "Last year we struggled a bit at the start to get a clean sheet but I think we are a little more sound defensively this year with a strong returning group from last season and obviously it showed on the field."

Watson made four saves in the match to secure the shutout.

The season opening victory gives the Clan a 1-0 record to start the season.

SFU will be back in action in non-conference play on Tuesday night when they host the Hawaii Hilo Vulcans at 7:30 p.m. at Terry Fox Field. Admission is free.

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