VANCOUVER – The No. 1-ranked UBC Thunderbirds, the top-seeded team at the Canada West Men's Soccer Final Four, rode a dominant second-half performance to victory on Friday night, claiming a 3-0 win over the fourth-seeded Fraser Valley Cascades.
 
Defender Adriano Clemente (Burnaby, B.C.) and midfielders Sean Einarsson (Surrey, B.C.) and  Milad Mehrabi (Coquitlam, B.C.) did the damage for the 'Birds, while goalkeeper Chad Bush (Ottawa, Ont.) was spectacular in the second half.
 
With the win, UBC will move on to face the Victoria Vikes, who staked their claim to the Canada West throne with a 2-1 win over the Trinity Western Spartans earlier on Friday evening. The two long-time rivals will square off for Canada West supremacy tomorrow night.
 
As Canada West finalists, both UBC and Victoria automatically qualify for the 2015 CIS Men's Soccer Championship, which will be hosted by York University in Toronto, from November 12-15.
 
The first half was a terrific display of defensive ability from both sides, particularly Fraser Valley. The 'Birds averaged just over 16 shots per game in the regular season, but the Cascades held them to just two in the opening 45 minutes. However, the Cascades couldn't find a way to break through UBC's strong backline, either, as the 'Birds limited Fraser Valley to just two shots in the frame, neither of which tested Bush.
 
The 'Birds came out guns ablaze in the second half, and after such an excellent showing in the opening stanza, it's fitting that a defender the opened the scoring for UBC.
 
In just the 47th minute, Nike Azuma (North Vancouver) delivered a beautiful curling free kick from the right sideline, where Justin Wallace (Kamloops, B.C.) was waiting. The midfielder deftly deflected the ball, without looking, into the path of an onrushing Clemente. The center back didn't miss from in-close, heading the ball past Fraser Valley goalkeeper Alex Skrzeta to make it 1-0 for the home side.
 
The T-Birds appeared to have doubled their lead in the 56th minute off of another Azuma free kick, as, from of a scramble in front of the Fraser Valley net, Einarsson knocked a loose ball into the back of the Cascades' goal. However, the marker was waived off immediately on an offside call.
 
Einarsson wouldn't be denied the second time. After Wallace and defender Bryan Fong (Vancouver) had cracks at it, another loose ball in the Fraser Valley 18-yard box found its way to the veteran midfielder, and the team's leading goal scorer from the regular season did what he does best. At the 60 minute mark, Einarsson's goal put UBC up 2-0.
 
One of Fraser Valley's best chances of the evening came in the 68th minute. Off a terrific corner from Connor MacMillan, James Najman managed to get his head on it, and Bush had to make a terrific punch save, getting just enough of the shot to deflect it off the crossbar and out.
 
Then, UBC did what they might do better than anyone in the country – score in transition. A great feed from Wallace found Mehrabi, who raced in alone and beat Skrzeta with a bullet. Not even 30 seconds after Fraser Valley came within an inch of making it a one-goal game, the 'Birds tripled their lead.
 
Fraser Valley continued to press down 3-0, and were rewarded with a penalty kick in the 74th minute after Bush hauled down an attacking player in the UBC 18-yard box. The Ottawa native more than made up for his miscue, as he made a spectacular diving stop on the ensuing attempt from Fraser Valley midfielder Colton O'Neill.
 
Just two minutes later, Bush proved again that his being named a Canada West First Team All-Star was well warranted.
 
On a free kick attempt from around 25 yards out, MacMillan did well to beat the wall on a terrific strike labeled for the top right corner. Bush had other ideas, as he stretched out and knocked the ball out of play just before it could put Fraser Valley on the board.
 
UFV pressed, but couldn't break through the UBC defense, or Bush, in the final 15 minutes, and the host T-Birds earned their shot at the Canada West title, and the CIS championship next week, by a final score of 3-0.
 
When asked about his team's slow offensive start, UBC's head coach Mike Mosher attributed it to a case of the jitters, particularly with a berth at nationals on the line.
 
"Maybe a bit of nerves," Mosher admitted. "In a win-or-go-home type situation, that's what you've got to deal with. With nationals, that's why the pressure is there, and you've got make it happen on this day. Now that we've got our ticket booked, maybe a little of that pressure is off."
 
The second half was more indicative of the squad that went undefeated throughout the Canada West regular season, a change that Mosher listed as the biggest turning point in the contest.
 
"I liked the way that the boys responded immediately coming into the second half. Really upped the energy level, the tempo coming out of the break. That changed the game, right there. That first goal was always going to be important."
 
UBC and Victoria will square off in the Canada West championship tomorrow night, with the opening kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. (PT). The Cascades, on the other hand, will take on the Trinity Western Spartans tomorrow evening in the Canada West bronze medal match, which is set to start at 5 p.m. (PT). Both games, like today, will be played at Thunderbird Stadium and are part of UBC Thunderbirds Super Weekend.