VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds men's soccer (8-1) suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the University of Fraser Valley Cascades (5-4) on Friday night on David Sidoo Field at Thunderbird Stadium.
UFV's Justin Sekhon scored in the 86th minute to give the visitors an upset victory, their second over the T-Birds in as many years. Connor MacMillan had possession of the ball near the goal line and as a UBC defender came towards him for a double team, he quickly found a wide-open Sekhon at the top of the penalty area for a shot, which deflected off another T-Birds defender past goalkeeper
Luke O'Shea.
UFV had taken the lead in the 62nd minute on a penalty kick goal by Colton O'Neill. But UBC responded with heavy pressure in the UFV half of the field. The hard work finally paid off when
Alex Orasa was run over from behind by Cascades defender Ryan Liddiard, earning a penalty kick.
Navid Mashinchi stepped up and converted the spot kick, slotting a low shot into the right side of the net as UFV goalkeeper Mark Village dove the other way. It was his league-leading eighth goal of the year.
With the score even, it was clear that both teams on the field were eager for the win. The last few minutes set a high-rate tempo of counter-attacks and daring slide tackles. Unfortunately for UBC, however, the Cascades finally found a way through the 'Birds defence late.
A scoreless first half ended with UBC ahead in shots 7-4. The home side finished the night with an 11-8 advantage.
Tonight's loss ended a 19-game regular season winning streak for the Thunderbirds. Their last defeat in regular season play at Sept. 8, 2013, also against UFV.Â
UBC will have to regroup and travel to Langley, B.C., tomorrow to face the Trinity Western University Spartans. Game time is 7 p.m. at Rogers Field. The game will also be streamed live on
CanadaWest.TV.
The Cascades leapfrogged UBC Okanagan into third place in the Pacific Division standings. The top four teams make the playoffs. UBC still boasts a comfortable four-point cushion on the University of Victoria for top spot.
