BURNABY, B.C. -- A brilliant 89^th minute marker from Nicolai Placzek proved a little too late on Saturday night, as the SFU Red Leafs suffered their first defeat of the GNAC season, 2-1 on the road against the Western Washington Vikings.

Down 2-0 in the game's final minutes, SFU's (10-3-2, 7-1-1 in GNAC play) attack finally broke through after an excellent performance from both the Vikings (5-6-5, 2-4-4) back line and keeper Brandon Locke. After Devin O'Hea delivered a brilliant ball across the WWU 18-yard box, Placzek launched an absolute missile off the volley, ending Locke's bid for a clean sheet with his first goal of the season. 
  "In the second half, we switched off for a moment and got punished. Well -coached teams do that and it was a good lesson for us. I take full responsibility for the result today as our players left everything on the pitch. We know that our goals are ahead of us and still within reach. We are excited about the opportunity and the boys are looking forward to getting back to work on Monday."

After a fairly even first half, resulting in a 0-0 score by the break, the Vikings broke the game open early in the second.

After taking a long outlet pass from Locke, the Vikings' Eric Bunnell did well to maintain possession deep in the SFU 18-yard box. Bunnell found his opening, laying off a short pass to Diego Alvarado, and the junior cut to the middle before beating SFU keeper Justyn Sandhu high and to the right.

Elliott Rains scored the eventual game-winner at the 59-minute mark. Coming off the left flank, Jacob Sundberg found Rains alone at the top of the box. The senior stepped into a one timer, and it found its way through a crowded box and past Sandhu.

SFU could have locked up both the top seed in the GNAC standings and a berth in the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championships with a win, however their road got a bit trickier with the loss.

Due to their game against Montana State Billings being cancelled last month due to weather conditions, the GNAC is determining their final seeding by points-per-game this year.

With 22 points in nine games, SFU sits at 2.44 points-per-game and two matches remaining. The only competition within striking distance of the Red Leafs are Western Oregon Wolves, who have a 2.18 points-per-game average (7-1-3 in GNAC play) with one game remaining on their schedule.

If Western Oregon wins their final match of the regular season, they would end up with an average of 2.25 points-per-game. In that scenario, SFU must win at least one of their final two games to earn their place in the national tournament. If the Wolves lose their finale, SFU makes it regardless of their final two matches.

SFU's all-too-important final week will first see them head down to Billings, Montana, to face the MSUB Yellowjackets on Thursday, November 4. 

The Red Leafs will then return home to Terry Fox Field, hosting the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks in the season finale on Saturday, November 11^th. Besides potential playoff implications, SFU's final home contest of the year is also Senior Day, and the match itself gets underway at 1 p.m.

For the latest information on SFU Athletics, visit athletics.sfu.ca. You can also find us on social media at @SFU_Athletics.

#RepTheLeaf