BURNABY, B.C. – The SFU Red Leafs (3-2-2, 1-2-1 GNAC) turned in one of the most electric stretches in program history Saturday night, as they reeled off five unanswered goals in a 16-minute span to take a 5-0 Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's soccer win over the visiting Saint Martin's Saints (3-3-1, 1-1-0) in front of a captive audience at Terry Fox Field.
That 5-0 score may not even be truly indicative of how lopsided the contest was – the Red Leafs dominated from the opening whistle, outshooting the Saints 28-2 over the course of 90 minutes, including a 10-1 margin in the first half.
SFU was only held off the scoresheet through the valiant efforts of Saints goalkeeper Nick Mueller, though for SFU's seemingly ceaseless pressure, one shot hit the target in the first half.
That luck changed quickly in the second stanza, as SFU's onslaught of goals started 14 minutes into the frame. On a deep cross from
Niko Papakyriakopoulos (New Westminster, B.C.),
Koji Poon (Vancouver) did well to make contact, and his outstretched right leg deflected the ball past Mueller to open the scoring.
Poon added another just five minutes later, in the 64th, as his team-leading fifth goal of the year came on a loose ball from in tight. After
Devin O'Hea (North Vancouver, B.C.) put the ball in scoring range from the left side,
Michael Hennessy (Vancouver) did just enough to deflect it into the path of Poon, where the freshman made no mistake knocking it home.
Poon was a facilitator on the third, as he took smart feed from
Hamish Ogden (Port Moody, B.C.) near the top of the box before quickly relaying it to a streaking O'Hea. The senior forward outraced Mueller to the loose ball, just tapping it beneath the onrushing keeper to make it 3-0 in the 71st. It was his second goal of the season.
Mads Poulsson (Oslo, Norway), on a brilliant chip from the right flank for his first goal of the year, and Hennessy with his third tally of the campaign, on a volley resulting from a Papakyriakopoulos corner and deft assist from
Ali Zohar (Surrey, B.C), put the game out of reach with back-to-back markers in the 75th minute.
Niko Papakyriakopoulos. Photo by Paul Yates
Goalkeeper
Justyn Sandhu of Richmond, B.C., recorded his fourth shutout of the season for the Red Leafs.
SFU will look to carry their considerable momentum into their Thanksgiving weekend clash. The Red Leafs are set to host the Western Washington Vikings (3-3-2, 0-1-1) on Saturday, October 7, with kick-off slated for 6 p.m. The program will celebrate its 1982 and 1983 men's soccer teams, which won back-to-back National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics championships, with a recognition at halftime. Admission to the game will be free of charge.
For the latest information on SFU Athletics, visit
athletics.sfu.ca. You can also find us on social media at @SFU_Athletics. Follow SFU men's soccer on Instagram @SFUMSOC.
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