BURNABY, B.C. – Senior midfielder Ali Zohar (Surrey, B.C.) scored exactly 90 seconds into SFU's game at Westmont Saturday to lift the Red Leafs men's soccer team to a 2-0 triumph at the 14th Heritage Club Classic. Rookie forward Michael Hennessy (Vancouver) found the back of the net in the second half – his first career NCAA goal – to complete the scoring.
 
SFU won both of its games at the season-opening tournament, the only team to do so this weekend in Santa Barbara, California.
 
Senior goalkeeper Justyn Sandhu made three saves for the Red Leafs to earn his first shutout of the year, and his seventh overall at SFU.
 
Zohar won the ball from a Westmont (0-2) defender deep in the Warriors' half and got control of it at the top of the penalty area. He chipped the ball to his right, past advancing 'keeper Brady Highfill, before kicking it into the open net from the top-right corner of the six-yard box.
 
The Warriors had a good chance with about 10 minutes to go before halftime as Braeden Pryor got his foot on a bouncing ball in the middle of the Red Leafs' penalty area but junior defender Justus Meier (Hövelhof, Germany) stuffed the opportunity with a sliding tackle. It allowed SFU to take a 1-0 advantage into halftime.
 

The Red Leafs put the game away in the 68th minute with another nice goal. Junior midfielder Mads Poulsson (Oslo, Norway) corralled a loose ball in his own half, and took it deep into the Westmont end. Just before he got to the 18-yard box, Poulsson delivered a pass into the box to Hennessy. The rookie was pushed off balance but did an excellent job to recover and score from the goal-line at the right post.
 
Hennessy had a prime scoring chance to open the second half but his header inside the six-yard box was turned aside by Highfill, who dove to his right. Just over a minute later, Sandhu stopped a high shot from Zeke Padilla to keep the home side off the scoreboard.
 
SFU finished the day with a 14-10 advantage in shots, and a 7-3 edge in attempts on goal.
 
The Red Leafs will return home to host games Thursday vs. Chico State and Saturday against Sonoma State. Both will kick off at 6 p.m. The SFU Stadium at Terry Fox Field will also host neutral-site games on both days at 3:30 p.m.

Season tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sfu-red-leafs-season-passes-men-womens-soccer-and-volleyball-tickets-680344246957

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

#RepTheLeaf