VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds started their CIS title defence with an emphatic road victory on Friday, taking down the rival Victoria Vikes 4-1 in the regular season opener at Centennial Stadium.
Paul Clerc's 30th-minute header goal held up as the game-winner, and the T-Birds also got goals from Milad Mehrabi, Niall Cousens and Sean Einarsson before Craig Gorman broke the shutout in the 84th minute for the Vikes.
"We capitalized on our chances early on with two in the first half and two early in the second. We really took our chances, and goals change games," said UBC head coach Mike Mosher. "That happened today and helped put UVic in a hole."
After a couple early searching runs by the Vikes offence, the T-Birds seized total control of the first half, attacking again and again up the right wing to launch crosses into the box. Mehrabi's goal came on a Harry Lakhan cross from 30 yards out on the right sideline. The loose ball was up for grabs in the box briefly, but Mehrabi was the first to get a boot on it, knocking a low shot past Victoria keeper Elliot Mitrou
The 'Birds completely dominated the air on Friday, putting their height advantage to good use in the heading game. After a couple close calls in the air following that first goal, Clerc went up almost unchallenged for a header in the 30th minute off a Navid Mashinchi corner, making no mistake as he nodded it past Mitrou inside the near post to double the UBC lead.
Mehrabi almost had his own header goal on a Mashinchi cross just one minute later, but a quick leap from Mitrou turned him away to keep the Vikes within two heading into halftime.
But there was nothing Mitrou could do just three minutes into the second half, when UBC's top aerial weapon struck on another corner kick. The 6'4" Cousens headed home Reynold Stewart's corner for his first regular season goal as a T-Bird, and second straight game with a header goal after scoring one in last week's exhibition tilt with Simon Fraser.
Then it was Einarsson, another T-Bird newcomer, with the icing on the cake in the 59th minute. Taking advantage of the Vikes' aggressiveness as they pushed to get back into the game, Einarsson found himself in space on a counter attack and chipped the ball over Mitrou to make it a 4-0 game.
"We have some really good depth, and this is an opportunity for some of the guys who've been waiting in the wings to come in and play, and I think through preseason and today you can see the quality we've got," said Mosher. "We are a team that's very difficult for opponents to focus on one player. We can attack with a number of different players and in a number of situations. We're good on set pieces and had two goals from corners today."
The Vikes continued to press hard to break the clean sheet, which was in the hands of UBC keeper Chris Beck in the second half after he replaced starter Richard Meister at the break. Craig Gorman finally broke through in the 84th minute when he swung his corner kick directly in on goal and found the back of the net.
Mitrou made four saves in goal for the Vikes, while Meister and Beck made one save each splitting the keeper duties for UBC.
The 'Birds get a day off now before returning to Vancouver for their home opener on Sunday. UBC will square off against the Fraser Valley Cascades on David Sidoo field at Thunderbird Stadium, with kickoff slated for 2 p.m.
-30-
