EDMONTON - The second seeded UBC Thunderbirds defeated the Calgary Dinos 1-0 in the Canada West semi-finals in Edmonton on Saturday, booking their spot in the conference final. UBC meets Saskatchewan, who upset top seeded Alberta, on Sunday with tomorrow's winner earning a spot at the 2010 CIS Championships in Toronto next weekend.
Fifth-year defender
Matt Allard found the back of the net in the 13th minute, hammering home a shot from 12 yards out after receiving a low cross from
Brandon Bonifacio.
That was all the offence UBC needed as their back four shut down the Dinos for the most part, holding Calgary to two shots on goal.
UBC finished with four shots on target, nine total, as neither team backed down despite the early goal.
"It was a battle out there today. Despite the weather being good, the conditions weren't easy on the field. It's really narrow and there isn't a lot of space out there," said UBC head coach
Mike Mosher. "Our back four were really solid today. We didn't give up much. If we are going to have success tomorrow and a chance going forward, that is what we will need."
UBC meets Saskatchewan in tomorrow's Canada West final with only the winner joining league champion Alberta in Toronto next weekend. The Huskies picked up a 1-0 win over the top-seeded Golden Bears on Saturday.
Despite having to go out and earn a win tomorrow, Mosher is confident his players can bring another solid effort.
"Our guys showed up today and performed. We've been really focused and credit to our guys in preparing properly for this weekend. We're in a good mind set and will need to bring it again tomorrow."
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