Oregon State
Simon Fraser (Ex.)
Men's Soccer Defeats Simon Fraser, 3-1, in Exhibition
August 18, 2012 | Men's Soccer
Aug. 18, 2012
CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State men's soccer team faced one final outside challenge in Div. II-power Simon Fraser after another week of preseason training, and they passed with flying colors on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Paul Lorenz Field. The Beavers defeated the Clan, 3-1, in the team's exhibition finale.
The Beavers scored twice in the first half, with senior forward Emery Welshman netting his second goal of the preseason after a pretty tic-tac-toe touch from a pair of teammates in the 10th minute. Sophomore midfielder Khiry Shelton lobbed a pass into the right corner where freshman Mikhail Doholis centered a ball that found Welshman in stride. He beat goalkeeper Hide Ozawa to put OSU ahead, 1-0.
“Our attacking transition was good today,” head coach Steve Simmons said. “When you get those bodies in the right spots, and you're able to play in that half of the field, instincts take over and you get what you saw.”
Simon Fraser, a team that went undefeated in its 2011 regular season, did not wilt. In fact, the Clan outshot OSU 8-5 in the first half and 15-9 for the contest. Clan defender Jason Van Blerk set up Ryan Dhillon on a crosser through the box to knot the score at 1-1 in the 35th minute.
The Clan's defensive strategy of playing a high back line worked throughout the match, luring the Beavers into numerous offsides infractions. Just two minutes after Simon Fraser tied the game, however, the Beavers broke through the defense to retake the lead. Midfielder Will Seymore hit fellow sophomore Mike Reckmeyer with a perfect lead pass that he buried past Ozawa.
“They were pretty successful at condensing the midfield with that high line,” Simmons said of Simon Fraser's defense. “But we were able to get in behind it several times and at the end of the day, we just want to always be a threat [to score].”
The Beavers stayed aggressive in the second half, putting an insurance goal on the board in the 53rd minute. Senior Roberto Farfan scored off a big rebound from a shot by Welshman to finalize the scoring.
The Beavers now move into regular season action as they host Sacramento State next Friday at Lorenz Field at 7:00 p.m.
