ROHNERT PARK, CALIF.- It was a closely contested contest but Sonoma State Men's Soccer picked up their second straight victory of the 2024 season against the visiting Red Leafs of Simon Fraser. Despite allowing an early goal the Seawolves remained locked in and rallied to secure a 2-1 victory at the end of the 90 minutes of action. Head coach Marcus Ziemer spoke highly of the team's effort saying: "That was a great win. Simon Fraser is a well coached team that is going to win a lot of games this year. I expect them to be in the mix at the end of the season."
Things started off rocky for the Seawolves as well placed ball and a few unfortunate bounces led to Simon Fraser's Michael Hennessy just barely tapping the ball out of starting goalkeeper Jack Chapman's reach. In just 48 seconds the Red Leafs found themselves leading and feeling confident.
It wouldn't take long for the team to bounce back as Sonoma was able to get on the board roughly four minutes later. Oliver Gonzalez setup Jose Rios Lara just outside the box which resulted in Rios Lara getting a shot on goal that snuck past Simon Fraser's goalie. Rios Lara has been on an absolute tear to start the season. This marks his third goal on the season as he now leads the Seawolves in goals scored and is tied for the team lead in terms of shots on goal. The junior out of Seaside, California will continue to be an offensive focal point.
Close to 20 minutes later the team would take control with a 2-1 lead thanks to some beautiful ball movement. Grayson Garber would get the attack initiated, finding Christian Alvarado in the middle of the field. Alvarado would get the ball to Isaac Bandabaila who was streaking down the right side of the field. Finally, Bandabaila fired a perfectly placed crossing pass that Caleb Yoon forcefully headed into the goal. Simon Fraser's goalie never had a chance with Yoon attacking the net at full speed.
From that point on the match became a defensive slugfest with both teams looking to break the game open with another goal. The second half saw 13 combined shots from both teams. Sonoma was looking to break the game open and in the words of coach Ziemer: "I thought we had some chances to get the third goal and put the game away. Yet, we left them in the game and it got crazy in the last five minutes. Jack Chapman made an unbelievable save with just a few minutes left to secure the win." Speaking of Chapman he was outstanding in the net all game long. Outside of the Red Leaf's initial score he would come away with five saves while directing the teams defensive efforts all night.
With their second win in as many games, Sonoma is starting to hit their stride. Over the course of this week's matches the team has secured six goals via five different players. It was the type of gritty win that stands to serve the team well as the season progresses. Coach Ziemer agrees saying: "We showed a lot of character to give up a goal in the first minute and still fight back to secure the lead. Jose Rios Lara has scored in three straight games and Chrisitian Alvarado is now up to four assists in our last two matches. We have a lot of players that can score goals."
Sonoma State returns to the pitch next Thursday when they take on Menlo on the road in Atherton, California. The match is scheduled to kick-off at 4:00 pm.
