TACOMA, Washington – Ten games were decided by one goal, and the Loggers reached a couple of ties during the shortened 14-game Puget Sound men soccer season in 2020-21.
All five of Puget Sound's wins were by one goal. The season began with a 2-1 home victory over Whitman (Feb. 20), with Cale Spence scoring both goals. The senior was subsequently named the Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week for offense.
One week later, Puget Sound pulled off a memorable 2-1 triumph over Pacific Lutheran (Feb. 27). After a scoreless first half, Marko Babiak drew a foul just outside the 18-yard box in the 61st minute. He then buried the set piece into the upper left corner. PLU tied the game with five minutes left in regulation, and overtime appeared inevitable. But Cade Bennett turned on the jets.
When the Lutes played the ball back to their keeper in the 85th minute, Bennett sprinted towards the goal and put pressure on a clearing boot. Bennett gave the goalie little room. The clear attempted ricocheted directly off of Bennett and straight back into the goal.
The Loggers hit a rough patch in the middle of the season. They went seven consecutive games without a win, although the stretch included ties against Whitworth and Whitman.
Puget Sound finally got back in the win column with a 2-1 triumph at home against Whitworth (March 27). The Loggers were a 1-0 hole at halftime, but Babiak scored the equalizer in the 54th minute, and Tyler Zamira netted the game-winner off a corner kick from Sean Hamel in the 82nd minute.
Towards the latter end of the unique season, Puget Sound had a couple of games against NCAA D-II programs. At Western Washington (March 27), Spence scored the game's only goal in the 61st minute to give the Loggers the upset win over the defending Great Northwest Athletic Conference champions.
The win over the Vikings gave Puget Sound extra confidence going into its match at Seattle Pacific (April 10). Lincoln Schell and Ian Cameron scored in regulation as the Loggers and Falcons went into overtime tied up, 2-2. However, the Falcons scored the game-winner just 30 seconds into the extra period.
The season reached a sweet conclusion. The year ended with a make-up game at Pacific Lutheran (April 13), where Liam Elliott's goal in the 16th minute was all Puget Sound needed for a season-finale win. Andrew Matheny made five saves in goal for the shutout.
By the end of the season, Spence led the Loggers in scoring with five goals, and Babiak totaled four goals. During the Puget Sound Athletic Department's All-Sports Celebration in late April, Spence received the Robin Hamilton Award for Attitude and Effort.
