Men’s soccer slides past Seattle, falls to Oregon State

The Gonzaga men's soccer team showed little rust from its 10-day layoff, defeating Seattle University 3-0 on Wednesday, Sept. 14.

"Seattle U was a good win for us," Assistant Coach Vito Higgins said. "Everything clicked, we didn't make that many mistakes, and we felt good all along."

That made two wins in a row for the Bulldogs, who defeated Long Island in overtime at the University of San Diego Nike Classic on Sept. 4.

Returning home for the Saturday, Sept. 17, match against Oregon State at Gonzaga, the Bulldogs had only three days to prepare for their Pac-12 opponent. After such a prolonged break before the Seattle trip, this was a marked contrast.

"It's kind of a funky schedule," Higgins said. "We had some light training, and came into Saturday's game feeling good and strong, but unfortunately things didn't click."

Oregon State defeated the Bulldogs 1-0 after Beavers midfielder Alex Eckerson smashed a well-timed half-volley from 25 yards out into the top left corner of keeper Ryan Caballero's net. There was little Caballero could do about such a strike.

Sophomore attacking midfielder Nick Hamer, who scored once and had an assist in the Seattle match, was forced off early in Saturday's match after suffering a bone bruise, the result of a crunching challenge with an OSU defender.

"It was just under my right knee," Hamer said. "I planted my foot and the defender was coming really hard into me, and he cracked it pretty hard. I think it's a bruise."

Higgins said team trainer Eric Gunning had assessed a bone bruise, meaning Hamer should miss at most a couple days' worth of training. "It shouldn't be a problem for next weekend's game," Higgins said.

James Matern, a starting side midfielder, was also forced off midway through the second half with his own knee injury.

Hamer was frustrated with Saturday's result, particularly in light of the Bulldogs' excellent performance just three days before.

"At the end of the day, it's on us," Hamer said. "We couldn't keep the ball very well. We didn't pass very well, and we didn't stick to our game. We couldn't get our thought process through."

Hamer's brother Zach, a freshman on the team, concurred.

"Seattle U was definitely a good win," Hamer said. "We worked as a team, and our chemistry was good. I thought that gave a good picture of what we can do."

"Against Oregon State, they played a different game than Seattle, which was much more direct, and they played way more long balls over the top. We just didn't adjust fast enough."

After going down 1-0, the Bulldogs mounted a furious comeback in the second half, increasing its pressure in the attacking third. They had a half-chance in the 64th minute, when forward Alec Cutter nearly pounced on a loose ball in front of OSU keeper Steve Spangler.

Zach Hamer switched to a more central role in the second half, and did well deputizing play. With the Beavers electing to sit back and soak up pressure while looking to hit out on the counterattack, the Bulldogs enjoyed long spells of possession, and very nearly made them count on several occasions.

The loss sends GU to 2-3-0 on the season. Conference play is set to begin after last weekend's Oregon State tournament, and the Bulldogs will be eager to get off to a good start as they look to nab their first postseason appearance since 2007.

The Bulldogs travel to Corvallis, Ore., for a two-game set beginning this Friday. Though Oregon State is hosting the tournament, the Bulldogs won't face them again. Instead they will play Cal State Bakersfield on Friday and the University of Missouri-Kansas City on Sunday.