NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene men's soccer took the lead in the 12
th minute and held on the rest of the way for a 1-0 victory over Simon Fraser on Saturday afternoon.
The win avenged a 2-0 loss to the Red Leafs just one week ago in Burnaby. The Nighthawks improve to 3-1-1 in GNAC play with 10 points, taking sole possession of second place in the conference standings for the moment.
NNU came out strong over the opening minutes, keeping possession on their offensive half. It did not take long for the Nighthawks to break through, as in the 12
th minute
Pablo Gonzalez found
Caleb Putney with a beautiful through ball for a one-on-one with the SFU keeper, and Putney had no trouble slotting it into the back of the net.
Putney moves into a tie with
Jonathan Cardona for the team lead in both goals (3) and points (7) on the season.
With the lead in hand, the Nighthawks spent much of the rest of the contest on the defensive end, standing tall to keep the Red Leafs off the scoreboard.
Gerardo Fonte tallied eight saves, and
Kobe Avila executed a stunning, sliding clearance off the line of a near SFU goal late in the first half.
The NNU victory is just the fifth in 27 chances all-time against Simon Fraser and first since a 2-1 win in Nampa in 2022.
NNU will now face their toughest task in conference play to date, heading to Monmouth, Oregon for a clash with GNAC-leading Western Oregon. The Wolves are a perfect 5-0 in GNAC play and 9-1-1 overall, ranked 15
th in the nation as of Oct. 15.
