Sports

Can you say ‘dominant?’

By “Monster Mash” Lee, Associate Staff Contributor

The SFU men’s soccer team, carrying a three-game win streak under their belts, are heading into the final stages of the regular season and are aiming to finish with momentum.

Much like a runaway train picking up speed, the men’s team is returning to full health and preparing to stake their claim for a third national championship.

After undergoing both a coaching change and inserting new players into their lineup, the Clan had struggled out of the gate early. They were working to establish team chemistry and fought off nagging injuries, but have since gelled nicely as a unit.

The exclamation point in the team’s season came last Monday when Lucas Barrett scored his second hat trick in as many games as the Clan blitzed the Evergreen State Geoducks 6-0 — the most goals of any SFU game this season. Barrett, who has been battling an ankle injury for a large portion of the season, now leads the team with six goals.

The Clan offence has been red-hot as of late, scoring 12 goals in the last three games.

While Lucas Barrett’s six goals have been the main reason behind their offensive surge, the team has also had timely contributions from Liam Miller and Tom Lowndes, who have combined for three goals and four assists in the same stretch.

“Tom Lowndes has gotten better as the season’s progressed [and] I think we’re finally seeing him play to his ability,” acknowledged head coach Alan Koch. “Liam Miller has really stepped it up and plays with a sense of purpose when he’s out there. He’s created all sorts of opportunities for Lucas and other players who are out there.”

What has also been a pleasant story this season has been their team defense. In the 13 games the squad has played thus far, they have managed to shutout their opponents six times, including a run of four 1-0 victories. And with the upcoming playoffs always an air-tight, defensive battle, the Clan will need to continue their ability to play stifling defense.

The last regular season game for the Clan takes place this Saturday night as they travel across the 49th parallel to visit the Seattle University Redhawks, who blanked the Clan in their first home game of the season by a 1-0 score. For Koch and his crew, they know the Seattle game will be a great way to close out their regular season.

“Playing on the road is never easy,” said Koch. “They’re never an easy team [Seattle]. I believe we could’ve beaten them at home when we played them and I think we want a bit of revenge when we play them. I think our guys will be fired up for it so hopefully we can get the much-needed victory.”

With the team on a roll, it’s clear that while the men’s team have Seattle in their sights, their goals are fixed on booking a return trip to the national championships.

The Clan traveled to Lacey to take on St. Martin’s University over the weekend. Check out athletics.sfu.ca for a full game recap.