VANCOUVER - Any time the No. 2 UBC Thunderbirds and No. 9 Trinity Western Spartans men's soccer teams get together for a game, it is a spirited battle. There's even more on the line this weekend in Vancouver as the game between these top-10 rivals is also for first place in the Canada West standings.
GAME TIME
Friday, October 7 - No. 9 Trinity Western at No. 2 UBC (7:15 p.m. at Thunderbird Park, Vancouver)
No. 2 UBC Thunderbirds
2011 conference record: 4-0-3 (1st)
2011 CIS ranking: 2
Last week: beat Lethbridge 4-1, beat Calgary 3-2
Streak: 2 wins
The T-Birds continued their dominance at home to start the year with a sweep last weekend against Lethbridge and Calgary. It was an easy 4-1 win over last-place Lethbridge, but the Calgary Dinos forced the 'Birds to come back from a two-goal halftime deficit to stay undefeated with a 3-2 win.
The 'Birds are not exactly secure in their position atop the Canada West standings, as just four points separate the top six teams in the league. They will likely have to start picking up some road wins to stay on top, having settled for draws in all three of their road matches this year, but their performance at home couldn't be much better.
The 'Birds are 4-0-0 at home, having outscored opponents 15-5 at Thunderbird Park. For the season, UBC averaeges nearly three goals per game, while no other team averages more than 1.75.
Sean Haley leads the pack with four to his credit.
Marco Visintin's three goals on opening weekend still hold up for second most on the team, despite the fact he's played just three matches for UBC this season. The scoring has been evenly distributed throughout the roster, with seven players scoring at least two goals.
If the T-Birds have anything to worry about at this point in the season, it would be the number of goals allowed. Traditionally one of the toughest defensive squads in the conference, as evidenced by three of this year's starting fullbacks earning Canada West All Star nods last year, UBC is allowing about 1.5 goals against per game this season - a 50 per cent increase from last year that has them ranked in the middle of the pack defensively.
No. 9 Trinity Western Spartans
2011 conference record: 4-1-2 (2nd)
2011 CIS ranking: 9
Last week: tied Calgary 1-1, beat Lethbridge 3-1
Streak: 1 win
The Spartans' only blemish came back on opening day, when they dropped a surprising 1-0 decision to Fraser Valley at home. They are undefeated since then, fighting their way back up to second place in the conference thanks to near-impenetrable defence.
All but one of Trinity Western's wins have come by way of the shutout, and their four goals allowed on the year is just half as many as the next-best defensive team has allowed. Goalkeeper Andrew Fink is second in Canada West with three shutouts, and the relatively inexperienced group of fullbacks in front of him have done well to keep the action away from his net.
In contrast to UBC's star-studded back row, the Spartans' only returning All Star is midfielder Jordan Whitehead. Their fullbacks are led by the Volkenant brothers, with fourth-year Brayden and third-year Rhys being the only two Spartan defenders past their sophomore year.
Trinity Western's results last weekend against Calgary and Lethbridge looked similar to those of UBC - a close game against the tough Calgary Dinos which ended in a 1-1 draw, and an easy 3-0 victory over Lethbridge. That was just the second time this year that the Spartans have manged more than one goal in a game, which is a good sign for them as they prepare to take on the league's most potent offence. Spencer Schmidt and Garrett Peters each scored one against Lethbridge, giving them four and three on the year respectively to lead the team.
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