UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. — Parkside men's soccer went toe-to-toe with one of the GLIAC's best for nearly 88 minutes Friday afternoon before Saginaw Valley State finally broke through late, as Matty Telfer buried his sixth goal of the season with just 2:15 left to lift the Cardinals past the Rangers 1-0 at Braddock Field.
The decisive sequence began deep in Saginaw's own half, when defender Logan Kunnen launched a long clearance downfield that skipped past midfield and into the attacking third. Adrian Hatman rose to flick the ball on with his head, perfectly setting up Telfer in stride. The sophomore forward didn't let it hit the ground, meeting it flush out of midair and driving it inside the bottom-left corner past a diving Daniyal Rana for the lone goal of the day.
From the opening whistle, Saginaw Valley controlled the run of play and dictated tempo through sheer volume. The Cardinals fired 25 total shots compared to Parkside's three, including a 10-1 edge in shots on goal, and earned 13 corner kicks to the Rangers' one. Despite the constant pressure, Rana kept Parkside in the match with a standout performance between the posts, recording nine saves and organizing a back line that bent but refused to break until the final minutes.
Parkside's best opportunity came midway through the first half when Yeison Santos created space off a counterattack and sent a low effort toward the near post that required a diving stop from Saginaw keeper Nick Kay. Outside of that, the Rangers found few chances in the attacking third as SVSU's back line consistently won 50-50 balls and cut off passing lanes.
With the loss, Parkside fell to 4-4-2 overall and 4-2-1 in GLIAC play, splitting the season series with the Cardinals. Saginaw Valley improved to 6-2-3 and 5-2-0 in conference action, tightening the race at the top of the standings.
The Rangers now turn their focus to Sunday, when they travel to Grand Rapids for a 10 a.m. kickoff at Davenport.
To follow all the action and live coverage, visit parksiderangers.com/coverage.
