Season Highlights
SEATTLE (Dec. 14) – The 2016 season was another stellar one for Seattle University men’s soccer, as the Redhawks continued its run of double-digit-win campaigns and dominated at Championship Field.
Coach Pete Fewing’s squad won 11 games, marking a fourth straight year with at least 11 victories. SU also ran its home win streak to 16 matches, which ended the regular season as the longest such streak in Division I.
Seattle U opened the season with a 2-0 win over West Virginia on Aug. 26. After a tight, 1-0 loss at national power Akron and a setback at Gonzaga, the Redhawks bounced back with a 1-0 win at Harvard on Sept. 8, as Jeff Rose scored to lead SU to the road win.
Fewing’s club came home and claimed a pair of victories, including a 2-1 overtime decision over the College of Charleston. Alex Roldan scored one of his six game-winning goals in the win.
Following a 2-1 loss at Washington on Sept. 25, the Redhawks got rolling in league action. They handed nationally-ranked Utah Valley a 2-0 loss on Sept. 30, as Sergio Rivas and Sam Langston each scored and Jordan Hadden tallied four saves in goal.
SU won its next three outings and eventually reeled off a nine-game unbeaten streak. To highlight the run, Seattle U defeated eventual WAC Tournament champion UNLV, 4-1, on Sept. 27, celebrating senior night at Championship Field.
Despite a loss at Air Force to close out the regular season, the Redhawks finished second in the WAC standings.
The Redhawks were anchored by a standout senior class that won over 50 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in 2015. Kyle Bjornethun wrapped up one of the most-decorated careers in program history, earning his second straight Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Defensive Player of the Year Award. The Snohomish, Washington, native concluded his time at SU with three All-WAC First Team nods and the 2013 conference rookie of the year honor.
Langston earned All-WAC Second Team recognition for a second time, keying a Redhawk defense that was one of the stingiest in the region. Rose recorded a team-high eight assists, pacing the league this season and setting a program record. Hadden made 11 starts in net, posting a 0.79 goals against average and an .812 save percentage-both second-best in the WAC.
Roldan led the team with eight goals and 19 points, picking up All-WAC First Team honors along the way. His six game-winning goals were fourth-most in the nation. Joining Bjornethun and Roldan on the conference’s first team was Rivas, who notched four goals and five assists on the year. Nathan Aune was another All-WAC Second Team selection, starting all 18 games for SU.
Roldan and Rivas, along with David Olsen, will lead the SU attack in 2017, while Aune will key the Redhawk defense. While having to replace a number of vital contributors, Seattle U will look to compete for a WAC title next season.