SASKATOON – The Trinity Western University Spartans men's soccer team stormed into Saskatoon and recorded a 2-0 victory over the Saskatchewan Huskies on Saturday, Sept. 21 at Griffiths Stadium in Nutrien Park in Saskatoon, Sask.
"I thought we got lucky to be in the lead at the time, Saskatchewan gave us a few scares there, and they probably could've had one if the ball bounced a little bit better for them. Then we got in the lead, it wasn't smooth sailing, but we got used to our surroundings. It's a tough place to play," said Spartans head coach Mike Shearon. "I'm happy with the 2-0 win, and that's what you have to do to win on the road."
Caleb Johnson first-half tally from the penalty spot and Jacob Low's tap-in in the second half provided Trinity Western with all they needed to get past the Huskies in the afternoon tilt.
Despite trailing after 45 minutes, Saskatchewan controlled play throughout the majority of the half. The home side had several high-quality scoring opportunities but was just unable to find the twine. The Huskies outshot the Spartans 10-4 in the first half, while also holding a 3-2 advantage in shots on goal.
"Unlucky, but at some point, we have to stop saying we had more chances, we had more shots, and we were unlucky," said Huskies head coach
Bryce Chapman. "We have to start bearing down and taking control of games, because we've had the opportunities to do so early on and today was another example of if we bury those chances, the game is going to be different.
However, it was a tale of two halves, as Trinity Western dominated the second half. The Spartans controlled possession and outshot the Huskies 7-2 over the final 45 minutes.
"With that being said, I thought we were very poor in the second half. We had self-inflicting wounds throughout the half, and that didn't allow us to get a footing on the game," said Chapman.
Third-year Trinity Western goalkeeper Sebastian Colyn was sharp when tested, especially in the first half. Coyln picked up the clean sheet with a four-save performance.
"We were under pressure, and Sebastian came up massive for us," said Shearon.
On the opposite end of the field, first-year keeper
Marcus Baxter recorded three saves for the Huskies.
Trinity Western picks up their third-consecutive win on the season with the 1-0 victory, which is the club's first win of the season on the road. The Spartans move to 4-3 on the year with the victory.
With the loss, Saskatchewan falls to 1-3-4 on the season, snapping the team's three-game point streak, in what is their first defeat on home turf in 2019.
Caleb Johnson opened the scoring in the 20th minute for the Spartans after converting from the penalty spot, finishing to the bottom-right side of the cage past a diving
Marcus Baxter.
Marcello Gonzalez,
Jacob Powell, and
Fraser McLeod specifically each had great chances inside the box for Saskatchewan to get on the board in the first half, but none were able to find the back of the net.
In the early going of the second half, after Gonzalez was unable to beat Colyn, the Spartans put the dagger in the Huskies. Baxter stopped Cody Fransen's shot from inside the box, but a scramble ensued, and the ball found its way to Low, who finished off the play and recorded his third goal of the season.
From there, the visiting Spartans were able to run out the remainder of the game, sealing the 2-0 victory.
As for tomorrow's match, Chapman will look to get his club back into form as they conclude their weekend on Sunday afternoon in Saskatoon.
"With this young group, we're going to have to push reset and bury those chances and play with a bit more urgency," said Chapman.
Saskatchewan will play their second of their five-game homestand tomorrow afternoon at Griffiths Stadium as they are set to take on the UBCO Heat at 2 p.m. Meanwhile, Trinity Western will begin the trek back west, when they take on the Mount Royal Cougars in Calgary on Sunday afternoon.
