VANCOUVER – Adding to an already impressive winning season, the UBC Thunderbirds men's soccer team shutout the Thompson Rivers WolfPack (1-6-2) 3-0 on Saturday afternoon in Kamloops. The win brings the T-Birds' season record to a division leading 8-0-1.
 
"I thought it was a solid effort," stated UBC head coach Mike Mosher to TRU Sports Information. "It was a tidy, professional performance. Early on, when TRU was fresh, they were providing some challenges to it. I think we were pretty tight in the first half.  We thought the game would open up in the second half and that is exactly what happened."
 
The 'Birds used the early minutes of the match trying to find their offensive groove. Apart from two shots that went well wide of the net, the Thunderbirds struggled early on to get deep into Timberwolves territory.
 
TRU took advantage and unloaded a series of misses, including a bomb from Oriol Torres that was denied by a sprawling save from UBC's rookie goalkeeper Chad Bush (Ottawa). Bush's early-game performance provided his teammates with a chance to regroup and retaliate.
 
A chance from UBC fifth-year senior Milad Mehrabi (Coquitlam, B.C.) helped commence a noticeable momentum shift in UBC's favour. Between the 13th and 37th minutes, UBC outshot TRU 10-2.
 
UBC fifth-year midfielder Justin Wallace (Kamloops, B.C.), playing in front of a hometown crowd and against former teammates, came close to getting his current squad on the board, but his shot bounced high off the crossbar. WolfPack goalkeeper Travis Froehlich kept things even, despite steady pressure from the Thunderbirds.
 
Late in the 37th minute, following a corner kick from Wallace, UBC second-year Boris Si (Vancouver) deposited his first goal of the season past Froehlich.
 
Si nearly found his second goal of the game after halftime, in the 57th minute, but his shot hit the post and deflected wide.
 
In the 65th minute, taking advantage of some confusion from TRU's defence, Gagan Dosanjh (Abbotsford, B.C.) ripped one from the top of the box, netting his fourth goal of the season.
 
While UBC's second goal appeared to reignite TRU's offence, they weren't able to generate any meaningful scoring chances throughout the remainder of the second half and only recorded two shots on net.
 
With three minutes left in the match, third-year midfielder Lucas Reis (Port Moody, B.C.) fed the ball up to fourth-year midfielder Jules Chopin (Nelson, B.C.), who cut in behind the WolfPack defenders and nabbed his first goal of the season, giving the Thunderbirds a commanding 3-0 lead.
 
Bush made two saves for his league-leading sixth shutout of the season.
 
The match marked UBC's fourth consecutive clean sheet and they will look to keep that trend alive when they face the UBC Okanagan Heat (3-4-3) on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. (PT) in Kelowna. The WolfPack hope for their first win since mid-September when they host Victoria (4-2-2) on Sunday at 2 p.m. (PT) in Kamloops. 
 
- with files from Larry Read (TRU Sports Information)