BURNABY, B.C. – In a battle of top NCAA Division II men's soccer programs, Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason favourite Simon Fraser fell 1-0 to No. 1-ranked California State Los Angeles in its 2022 season opener Saturday night in Burnaby.
The Golden Eagles (2-0), who beat Saint Martin's Thursday, won the NCAA Division II title last season; SFU was one of two teams to beat them during the 2021 championship campaign.
On Saturday at the SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field, Jeppe Paulsen scored from the six-yard box in the 71st minute for the non-conference game's lone goal.
"They're a really good side, really well coached and very prepared. You can see the quality they have, and the experience that comes out in big games. And this is a big game, between two teams consistently at the top of the West," said SFU head coach
Clint Schneider of the visitors.
"We came out on the wrong end, but we have a lot of different pieces we're trying to work through to figure out what we have. We're obviously disappointed but there were lots of positives to build on. In the second half, I thought 'Hey, we could maybe get something out of this,' and unfortunately, they finally capitalized on a goal they probably should have had in the first half."
Devin O'Hea. Photo by Wilson Wong
Junior goalkeeper
Justyn Sandhu, a transfer from Div. I St. Bonaventure (N.Y.), made his official SFU debut Saturday, recording eight saves. His best came in the 56th minute, when he dove right to make a fantastic stop on a Lucas Rosales header.
Junior midfielder
Mark Talisuna and senior forward
Alan Soto, also in his first SFU contest after transferring from Div. I Santa Clara (Calif.), had a pair of shots each to lead Canada's NCAA team offensively. With about three minutes left in the game, Soto had a good scoring chance on a headed ball towards the left post, but his shot was stopped.
Overall, the Golden Eagles outshot SFU 23-7, and held a 9-5 edge in shots on net.
Tyler Dhillon. Photo by Wilson Wong
SFU will head south next week for a pair of non-conference games in California. The team will face Sonoma State Thursday at noon before an 11 a.m. showdown at Chico State on Saturday.
For the latest information on SFU Athletics, visit
athletics.sfu.ca. You can also find us on social media at @SFU_Athletics.
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