SEATTLE, WA— (GoSeattleU.com) In a hard-fought Western Athletic Conference men’s soccer match, Seattle University received an early goal as well as great defense the rest of the way to defeat San Jose State, 1-0, Sunday afternoon at Championship Field.
Wilson Tsoi shot the match for SU Athletics. See his gallery here!
Seattle U held possession early on in the match, as Sam Langston (Sammamish, Wash.) directed a long pass into the box, where David Olsen (Auburn, Wash.) redirected it with his head into the net for his third goal of the weekend and seventh goal of the season. Less than two minutes later, the Redhawks threatened to extend the lead, but three consecutive shots were all blocked by the San Jose State defense.
San Jose State (4-9, 2-3 WAC) gained the possession edge at the start of the second half, with forward Rory Knibbs creating a golden opportunity by drawing a foul within the 18-yard box for a penalty kick. However, Knibbs’s effort was stopped by Redhawk keeper Shane Haworth (Puyallup, Wash.), and the Redhawks used that save as a rallying point.
The Redhawks created a couple more scoring chances later in the second half, but shots by Sergio Rivas (Albuquerque, N.M.) and Alex Roldan (Pico Rivera, Calif.) were turned away by San Jose State goalie Felix Petermann. In all, Petermann was credited with four saves, while Haworth earned three saves on the way to his sixth shutout of the season.
“My hats off to San Jose State, who came here and battled the entire way, they are a much better team than their record shows,” Seattle U head coach Pete Fewing said. “I have never seen a penalty kick save ignite a team the way Shane’s save ignited our team, so that was huge. In a season like we are having, you are going to have matches like this one, where you roll up your sleeves and survive. I am happy for our guys to get the win.”
Seattle U enjoyed a slight edge in shots, 14-12, led by Rivas and Olsen with three shots apiece, while Knibbs and Jonathan Colunga took three shots apiece for the Spartans.
Seattle University (12-3, 5-1 WAC), now at the top of the WAC standings, will head out on the road next weekend, facing UNLV Friday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. and Grand Canyon Sunday, Oct. 25, at 2:30 p.m. The Redhawks will host Incarnate Word Sunday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m. on Senior Day before closing the regular season at Utah Valley Saturday, Nov. 7.
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