The Peak

Lads look towards NAIA playoffs, trip to San Antonio

By Matt Lee, Associate Staff Contributor

After capping off the regular season with a 10-4 record, the SFU Clan men’s soccer team have shifted their focus towards San Antonio, where they’ll compete for a berth in the NAIA national championships.

Last year, the Clan rode a 17-2-1 record into the annual tournament for a third-place finish — the best in 16 years — and are ready to build on last year’s dazzling performance. Their lengthy run in the tournament ended when they were defeated by then-No. 1 seed Asuza Pacific, who went on to win the tournament.

With the remnants of last year’s result and the expectations for this season fresh in mind, to say they’re “excited” is a bit of an understatement. The Clan are attempting to rise to the challenge of winning only their third national championship in school history.

The 3rd-year forward Lucas Barrett, who paved the way for the Clan’s success last season with 13 goals, led the team again in scoring with seven goals, but missed five games due to an ankle injury. In his last two games alone he scored six markers and has found his way back to full health.

“I think we’ve got a good chance at taking both games [in the conference championships],” said Barrett. “We’re looking at winning, and I think everyone here agrees anything less than that would be a disappointment.”

Asked if he believed this team was stronger than last year’s, the Clan’s most dangerous player shrugged off the notion.

“Last year’s team was just as good as this year’s, but I think we’re more experienced this year with a lot of returning players from last year.” Barrett answered.

In addition to Barrett, the lads have also seen some of their other players rise to the occasion. Justin Carvery, who last year scored 29 points but has only eight this season, is getting back to full health after missing several games with an injury and should return to his effective playmaking self. Stefano Pannu, Liam Miller, Liam Smith, and Tom Lowndes have all contributed to the Clan’s success this season.

Going into the final weekend of the regular season, the lads on the hill were ranked No. 3 in the NAIA, the highest they have been ranked all season. Previously the Clan had enjoyed success as the fifth-ranked squad but had not reached the top three. The lads understand expectations for themselves are high going into the conference finals.

With the regular season in the books, Alan Koch and his crew are set to go to San Antonio this week. As part of the newly-formed Independent division, the Clan must secure the division title to qualify. They will square off against three other schools: Lambuth University (Tennessee), St. Thomas University (Texas), and Thomas University (Georgia). Only one of the teams will qualify for the national championship.

A tournament with 32 teams, the NAIA national championship will be a grind, spanning over the better part of three weeks. But head coach Alan Koch insists that his boys are healthy, determined, and ready to compete.

“We want to be conference champions and get that berth in the national championships,” said a determined Koch. “It’s something we’re very excited about and something we’re working very hard for.”