No. 5 Simon Fraser (B.C.) Takes Down No. 4 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 1-0 For Seventh Straight Shutout
Dec. 2, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. – (box score) No. 5 seed Simon Fraser (B.C.) advances to its ninth Semifinal thanks to a 1-0 shutout of No. 4 seed Embry-Riddle (Fla.) in the first Quarterfinal of the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship on Wednesday at Ramirez Field. The Clan will now play at 2 p.m. PST on Friday against the winner of No. 1 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) and Martin Methodist (Tenn.).
The SFU offense put together enough of a strike to prevail, but it was the Clan defense that was the bright spot. Led by goaltender Hide Ozawa, who had three saves, the Clan defense turned back 11 Embry-Riddle shots.
Max Baessato was credited with his second goal of the year, coming in the 10th minute. He took a feed from Gary Badesha and beat goalie Viktor Bergstrand. The goal was Baessato’s first marker since the season opener against Warner Pacific (Ore.) on Aug. 20.
The Eagles kept up the pressure in the second half with six total shots trying to tie the score at 1-1. But, the Clan held the 1-0 edge and advance to their second Semifinal in the last three years.
Embry-Riddle ends its season with a 13-4-4 record.
Hosted by Fresno Pacific (Calif.) University and the Fresno Sports Council, the Championship will continue with the second game of the day between No. 7 Notre Dame (Ohio) against No. 15 The Master’s (Calif.) at 2 p.m. PST. For more information on the Championship, click here.
NOTES: Simon Fraser has now recorded seven straight shutouts and a total of 12 this year… With 40 total wins in Championship play, Simon Fraser is second-all-time trailing Quincy (Ill.) by one for the most in that category… During its current shutout streak of seven matches, the Clan has out-scored their opposition 11-0… Simon Fraser is trying to snap a three-game losing streak in the Semifinals – the last win was against Rockhurst (Mo.) in 1987… Embry-Riddle falls to 4-6-1 in Championship play and are now 0-3 in Semifinal action.
