VANCOUVER -Â Mike Michelina's first goal as a Thunderbird was the difference Friday night propelling the UBC Thunderbirds to a 1-0 win over the Fraser Valley Cascades at Thunderbird Park.
The win over the eighth place Cascades (2-7-0) gives the Thunderbirds (5-3-0) a much needed three points and puts them five points clear of idle Calgary for fourth spot in the Canada West.
UBC carried the play for the majority of the match outshooting their opponents 20-10. The T-Birds who have struggled to score at times this season were unlucky to not be up a goal early in the second half when fourth-year striker
Ryan Reynolds and Michelina sent successive headers off of the crossbar. The duo redeemed themselves moments later, in the 53rd minute, when Reynolds did well to flick the ball on to an open Michelina who thundered the ball into the near corner.
"I thought our play was indicative of how the season has gone, we created chances but were not capitalizing," said UBC head coach
Mike Mosher.
The T-Birds nearly saw the win slip through their fingers in the 90th minute when a rare defensive lapse left Ethan Claibourne-Collins alone at the left corner of the box. The third-year striker turned and sent a curling shot towards the far post that beat UBC keeper
Elliott Usher but struck the inside of the post before being cleared.
The one lapse aside the T-Bird back four were in top form with defensive stalwart
Jason Gill turning away Cascade attackers and speedy first-year
Will Hyde making tackles one moment then creating offense the next.
"I thought
Will Hyde had a fantastic game, he's very poised for a player his age," added Mosher.
The first half was uneventful for either side with the exception of a scary moment for Cascades keeper Kristjan Johnasson. On a UBC corner, Johannson came out to challenge but found the elbow of his defender rather than the ball. The blow briefly knocked out the keeper but he recovered and walked off the field under his own power and was replaced by back-up Jacob Kubanski.
The Thunderbirds host the Victoria Vikes Saturday night at Thunderbird Park in a pivotal match-up between provincial rivals while Fraser Valley heads to Langley to battle the first place Trinity Western Spartans.
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