Emma Pringle looks at goals like some use an old potato chip slogan – can’t stop at just one.
Pringle parsed a pair of goals to lead the Simon Fraser University women’s soccer team to a 4-1 victory in their home opener on Saturday.
Pringle, a junior from North Vancouver, had set a high bar as a striker last year when she deposited 14 markers in 15 games, ranking her 18th amongst all NCAA women scorers.
The new season has seen the five-foot-eight forward continue that pace with five goals in the team’s first five games.
In their first conference test against Western Oregon on Saturday, teammate Jenna-lee Baxter got the offence going seven minutes into the contest, spinning two defenders around before lashing a hard shot to the top right corner.
Baxter later delivered a perfect cross to Pringle, who headed it into the net for a 2-0 lead at the 31-minute mark.
In the second half, the Clan countered the Wolves’ lone goal with another nifty shot from Pringle, this time from the top of the box that went in off the crossbar. Freshman Teagan MacKay would add a goal later in the contest, to go with an earlier assist. Finishing with two helpers each were Emma Lobo and Baxter.
The Clan, at 3-2-1 overall, had nine shots on goal, while limiting Western Oregon to just four.
“I’m proud of the way we came out and the speed at which we played. We scored some really great goals and executed our game plan very well,” said SFU head coach Annie Hamel.
Glennon strikes twice
Keep the ball rolling.
The No. 3-ranked SFU men’s soccer team is building a strong case for a higher spot in the NCAA Div. 2 polls, after racking up a sixth straight victory, this time 6-0 over the Oklahoma Baptist University Bison.
Sophomore striker Connor Glennon counted a pair in the win, while senior midfielder Mamadi Camara tallied his fourth of the season. Also scoring were Dzenan Bezdrob, Eric de Graaf and Matteo Polisi.
Burnaby’s Luciano Trasolini made two stops to preserve a fourth consecutive shutout.
SFU, now 6-0-0, will host its home opener this Thursday, 7 p.m., at Terry Fox field against conference rival Montana State University Billings.
Late run hits mine field
A late surge showed the kind of spark necessary to challenge in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, but it will take a better start if the Simon Fraser University Clan hope to add to its season-opening win.
The Clan fell to 1-2 on the football season following a 52-28 pick-axing from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology on Saturday.
Trailing 42-0 midway through the third quarter, the visiting SFU squad got on the board when starting quarterback Miles Richardson hit Rysen John on a 17-yard pass late in the frame to cap an 85-yard drive.
The Clan would surrender two more majors to the Hardrockers before responding, this time with Justin Seiber coming in off the bench for three TD passes.
The freshman QB hit John on a five-yard throw, then found Liviano Canil from 17 yards out. He capped the final quarter with a 12-yard strike to Christian Philips, all in under four minutes.
Richardson was 24-for-44 for 257 yards and one interception, while Seiber finished 10-of-18 for 127 yards and three majors.
South Dakota racked up 486 yards of total offence, while SFU was not far behind with 416.
The Clan host Central Washington on Saturday, 6 p.m. at Terry Fox field.
Clan tops in cross country
In their first run of the season, the SFU men’s cross country team left the opposition in their dust, topping the San Diego Invitational last week.
SFU’s Rowan Doherty, Sean Miller and Pierre-Louis Detourb took the top-three slots, while Carlos Vargas placed fifth.
On the women’s side, German exchange student Sophia Kaiser placed third while captain Addy Townsend came in fifth spot, to power SFU to a second-place result.
