VANCOUVER - The No. 9-ranked UBC Thunderbirds got their season off on the right foot as they topped crosstown rival and No.3-ranked Trinity Western 3-0 Friday night in a physical affair at Thunderbird Park. The win moves the T-Birds to 1-0 and primes them for a promising Canada West season.
Box Score
UBC head coach
Mike Mosher was pleased with his team's showing.
"We may not have been our sharpest today but we competed and that's what we need from our guys".
A penalty kick goal in extra time of the first half by
Marco Visintin stood up as the winner for the T-Birds. Visintin forced a turnover just outside the Spartans and touched the ball to
Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds sent the ball over the defence on to the foot of fellow striker Gagandeep Dosanjh who was taken down. The referee wasted no time putting Visintin on the spot and the midfielder showed no hesitation striking the ball, with authority, past Trinity Western keeper Andrew Kowan.
The rivalry between these two Canada West powerhouses heated up in the second half and the game turned chippy with the sides combining for seven yellow cards to go along with five in the first half.
The T-Birds took advantage of the game's physicality after Rhys Volkenant was handed his second yellow in the 53rd minute sending the defender off and Trinity Western down to 10 men. On the ensuing free kick
Navid Mashinchi sent a perfect cross into the box that met the head of UBC defender
Matt Allard who found the far post to send the T-Birds ahead 2-0.
Allard would later be sent off himself to put the teams on equal footing once again.
The Spartans did not make things easy for the Thunderbirds in the later stages as they continued to threaten around the UBC goal. Trinity looked to get on the board when the ball deflected off UBC keeper Zach Kalhtoff and to the Spartan striker Andre Costa who promptly put the ball in but the play was ruled no goal due to a hard foul by Costa.
With the Spartans pushing up well into extra time,
Devin Gunenc forced the Spartan's defence into a turnover and sent a through ball to substitute
Ashley Ankiewicz who went in clear from his side of half. Ankiewicz made no mistake firing a low shot to the far post past Kowan to put the match out of reach at 3-0.
The Thunderbirds now face their other local rival, the Simon Fraser Clan, on Sunday before returning to conference action next on September 17th when they host Fraser Valley.
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