The UBC men's soccer team play out their final two games of the regular season away from home this weekend with matchups against Lethbridge on Saturday and Calgary on Sunday.
With ten straight wins and only one loss on the season, UBC have already sewn up the top seed in the conference and secured the rights to host the Canada West Finals tournament beginning Thursday October 31 at Thunderbird Stadium.
Lethbridge and UBC sit at opposite ends of the league table and while their results will have little impact on the final standings both teams will be searching to end the season on a high note. Calgary, on the other hand, have everything to play for; they haven't quite sewn up a playoff spot just yet and with two big wins and other results going their way, they could even jump up to second in the Prairie division.
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First up is Lethbridge and this plays into the home team's favour; their only two wins this year have come at home. Goal-scoring has been a problem for Lethbridge all season, ten is all they've managed and they have no one on the team who's contributed more than twice. UBC on the other hand, have amassed an average of 3.25 goals a game and have regular contributors like
Milad Mehrabi (9 goals), Reynold, Stewart (7),
Navid Mashinchi (6), and
Paul Clerc whose six goals have come from centre-back. The last time these two teams met was in September 2012 and the Thunderbirds ran out comfortable winners, 8-0 here in Vancouver, but the year before that the teams drew 1-1 in Lethbridge. The Pronghorns certainly seem to play better at home and they will need to this weekend as they welcome #1 ranked UBC to town. Game time is 1:15pm PST in Lethbridge.
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As mentioned, Calgary need results this weekend. They currently sit third in the prairie division and one win would secure them a spot in the playoffs. They have a tough match Saturday against the Trinity Western Spartans who are themselves looking to sneak into the playoffs and then take on UBC on Sunday. Izak Lawrence has led the way for the Dinos this season with six goals and two assists in his 11 starts. UBC lost
Will Hyde to injury in the first game of the season and will be hoping he will be fit to feature at some point this weekend. The former Canada West all-star would ideally get at least one game under his belt before the Finals. Game time is 1:15 pm PST in Calgary.
