The No. 20 nationally ranked Western Washington University men’s soccer team does not enjoy ties.
It took nearly the entire 90 minutes of the game, but WWU held off visiting Saint Martin’s University, 4-3. What seemed like a solid win in the scorebook was anything but for senior defender Mitchell Hutter. Even after scoring the game-winning goal on an 84th-minute header, Hutter was critical of Western’s performance.
“Honestly, it’s been a frustrating game,” Hutter said. “[SMU] is not one of the better teams in the conference, and we wanted to win. Three points is really important, especially after the last game we had; it was an unfortunate loss.”
The win put WWU at 8-1-3 on the season, with a 4-1-0 record in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. It was a crucial bounce-back win after Western dropped its first game of the season in a 2-1 loss to Simon Fraser University on Oct. 6.
Western lost a one-goal lead on three separate occasions against Saint Martin’s on Saturday night at Harrington Field. After each of WWU’s first three goals, the visiting Saints responded with an equalizer goal of their own.
All eyes are on the ball as it goes into the net on a header by Western Washington University’s Joar Tidblom, third from right, to tie the game in the second half. The Vikings went on to beat Saint Martin’s 4-3. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
The Vikings went up early with a 10th-minute goal from Swedish-born forward Albin Jonsson. The freshman made an artful move past the SMU goalkeeper and netted his eighth goal of the season.
SMU’s Ethan Jud subsequently tied the game off a corner kick with 14 minutes remaining in the half.
Western retook the lead with a free kick goal from senior midfielder Johan Espinoza, a rocket of a shot that seemed handled by Saints’ keeper Nick Mueller, but squeezed behind Mueller’s hands, rolling into the goal for a 2-1 WWU lead.
Less than 10 minutes into the second half, WWU conceded a penalty kick and Saints’ midfielder Diego Andrade calmly slotted in the tying score.
Barely six minutes later, Western’s other Swedish-born player, freshman defender Joar Tidblom, headed in a corner kick from senior defender Teagan Eldridge to put Western up 3-2.
Goalie Patrick Restum dives to his right as the Saint Martin’s Saints score on a penalty kick to tie the game. Western Washington University beat Saint Martin’s 4-3. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
Western gave up the lead late when an SMU attack up the right side of the pitch resulted in a beautiful cross and header goal from midfielder David Settle, tying the game at 3-3.
Finally, after gaining and relinquishing the lead three times, the game was decided by senior defender Mitchell Hutter in the 84th minute. The veteran prowled the back goalpost until a perfect cross from senior midfielder Danny Fazio allowed Hutter to head home the game-winner.
“We wanted to win, and I decided I’m going to go forward and do whatever I can to get a goal,” Hutter said. “Luckily, Fazio lifted a great ball to the back post and I put it away.”
Andrew Rotter leaps over Saint Martin’s goalie as they chase the ball in the second half. Western Washington University beat St. Martin’s 4-3 on Oct. 8. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
That putaway would prove to be enough in stopping Saint Martin’s quick counterattacks, and Western held on to secure its fourth conference win on the season.
Next up, the men’s soccer team will go on the road to face GNAC rival Western Oregon University (1-7-2 overall, 0-4-1 GNAC) on Thursday, Oct. 13 at 1 p.m.
Western Washington University’s Albin Jonsson scores a goal as a Saint Martin’s defender tries unsuccessfully to get ahead of the ball in the first half. The Vikings won 4-3. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
Western Washington University’s Johan Espinoza gets a hug from a teammate after scoring a goal as the Vikings beat Saint Martin’s 4-3 on Oct. 8. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
