Simon Fraser University Athletics

PASADENA, Calif. – For SFU Clan, winning the NAIA soccer championship was an anti-climax. It was merely the last battle in a war they believed had already been won.

That, at least, was the feeling of SFU coach John Buchanan after his troops defeated Rockhurst College Hawks of Missouri 1-0 before 10,250 fans in the Rose Bowl, claiming the prestigious crown in only their second year of NAIA competition. 
 
More than the final itself, the game leading to it is the one Buchanan and his players will remember best – Thursday’s marathon, 243-minute semi-final victory over Quincy College of Illinois, the defending NAIA champions.
 
“Yes, I thought the final was an anti-climax,” Buchanan said. “Nothing in the final could compare to what we experienced against Quincy. To play two games in less than 36 hours is hard enough. To play twice under those circumstances and win is almost a miracle.”
 
Battered, bruised and otherwise physically exhausted from a 2-1 win over Quincy, the Clan took the field Saturday against a much fresher Rockhurst side, scored first on a goal by Ken Whitehead and then adopted the only strategy they could: Kitty-bar-the-door.

"Obviously, my main concern was the recovery rate of my players," said Buchanan. "We were strong for about the first 20 minutes, but then there was a distinct deterioration, especially in midfield where we couldn't win a ball. From the 20-minute mark on, two-thirds of the play was from our 18-yard box to the midfield stripe. It was strictly defensive soccer on our part."

Buchanan told his players before the game that they'd best get on the scoreboard early, knowing their energy reserves would be almost totally consumed in containing the "hard-nosed, hard-running" Rockhurst players. Whitehead heeded Buchanan's advice by converting a Dave Taylor cross into the Hawk's net at 8:28. The four-yard shot was Whitehead's 28th goal of the season, increasing an SFU record that he broke earlier in the Clan's 1976 schedule.

The lead was preserved by the brilliant goalkeeping of Darryl Wallace, later voted the tourney's most valuable player, and what Buchanan described as a "gutty" effort by his back four -- Danny Chapman, Bruce Gant, Glen Heilder and Alan Massender. Gant suffered a forehead cut about midway through the first half, was rushed to hospital for seven stitches and returned to play the final 20 minutes. Robbie Moore took his place while repairs were being made.

"We held our own defensively, but we were getting killed in midfield," Buchanan continued. "I don't have a ball-winning midfielder and Rockhurst had three of them. Consequently, we had to throw almost everyone back and rely on counterattacks."

"Frankly, I was amazed at our staying power. The kids never let up for a minute."

Wallace was also honoursed as a tournament all-star, as were Gant, Hilder and Whitehead. Whitehead received the additional honor of being voted the tourney's outstanding forward.

The win capped a 14-3-1 season for the Clan and, ironically, was inferior to the 18-2 mark they established in 1975 while losing 1-0 to Quincy in the national final.

"Our record wasn't quite as good this year, but we'll take this season over last," Buchanan concluded with a grin.