Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Simon Fraser University Athletics

Top scoreboard

celebration
Garrett James
3
Winner Simon Fraser SFU (10-5-0, 7-3-0)
2
Saint Martin's SMU (2-12-2, 2-7-1)
Winner
Simon Fraser SFU
(10-5-0, 7-3-0)
3
Final
2
Saint Martin's SMU
(2-12-2, 2-7-1)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Simon Fraser SFU 0 3 3
Saint Martin's SMU 1 1 2

Game Recap: Soccer - M | | Steve Frost - Associate Director Marketing & Communications (sfrost@sfu.ca)

3 goals in final 35 minutes propels Red Leafs to come-from-behind win

LACEY, Wash. --- Simon Fraser scored three goals in the final 35 minutes for a massive come-from-behind 3-2 win over Saint Martin's and keep their playoff hopes alive in the race for the GNAC Men's Soccer Championship and automatic berth into the NCAA Championship tournament Saturday afternoon.

It was the third straight road win for the Red Leafs who are coming together at just the right time. The win moved SFU one point back of conference leading Northwest Nazarene. SFU has 21 points and the Nighthawks have 22 with two games to go. Western Washington also has 21 points and plays Saturday evening, one of its three remaining games.

Justus Meier capped the frantic comeback in the 82nd minute with his first of the season after Devin O'Hea scored in the 55 minute and Niko Papakyriakopoulos tied the game 2-2 in the 76th minute. The Saints had built a 2-0 lead with goals in the 36th and 54th minutes.

Papakyriakopoulos was a creative force scoring once and assisting on the other two goals. As he has done so often this season, Papakyriakopoulos sent a perfectly placed corner kick into the box that Devin O'Hea directed into the goal to get SFU on the board 45 seconds after SMU had taken a 2-0 lead. It was O'Hea's team-leading sixth of the season.

SFU struck again 21 minutes later. Alan Soto dribbled into the top of the penalty area and struck a rocket off his left foot. The ball cracked off the crossbar right to Papakyriakopoulos alone on the left flank. He calmly beat a defender to the ball and placed it far side past the 'keeper.

The game winner came minutes later, again off a corner, set up by Papakyriakopoulos. He sent a ball off his left foot to the far post. Justus Meier went into the air and appeared to deliberately head the ball off the body of a Saints player and into the goal. A massive celebration ensued as the SFU players new the playoff chase was still on picking up a three-point victory in the standing as opposed to one point with a draw.

The win moved the Red Leafs to 10-5-0 overall and 7-3-0 in the GNAC with two home games remaining against MSU Billings (Nov. 3) and Saint Martin's (Nov. 5) on Senior Night.

The Nighthawks lead the conference with a 7-2-1 record and 22 points with games against Western Washington (Nov. 3) and Seattle Pacific (Nov. 5) remaining. WWU is in second place at 7-2-0 and 21 points with three games left: SPU (tonight), NNU (Nov. 3) and MSU Billings (Nov. 5).

The Red Leafs outshot the Saints by a wide margin, 25-16 overall, and 8-6 on shots on goal. SFU had six corner kick opportunities compared to one for SMU.

SFU goalkeeper Justyn Sandhu earned his 10th win of the season.

#RepTheLeaf
 
Print Friendly Version