VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds men's soccer team looks to continue their healthy start to the season with a pair of wins this weekend against the Thompson Rivers WolfPack and the UBC Okanagan Heat. Now 4-1-3 overall, the Thunderbirds return home to defend their turf and their undefeated CIS Pacific Division record of 2-0-1.
The weekend series is the first of two times the teams will meet this regular season. Coming off of a recent weekend road sweep of the Fraser Valley Cascades and the Trinity Western Spartans last weekend, the Thunderbirds should be ready to battle for those crucial mid-season points.
Friday, the 'Birds will host TRU at Ken Woods (Wolfson West) Field. The WolfPack are hungry to clear .500 halfway through the season with two wins and two losses in their division. Last season, the teams met twice and UBC earned two shutouts, 3-0 and 6-0.
The WolfPack feature a couple of former T-Birds: Ryan Glanville, a 31-year-old native of Williams Lake, B.C., who is tied for second in league scoring with three goals, and Mitch Popadynetz.
UBC midfield star
Justin Wallace (Kamloops, B.C.) won Canadian collegiate player of the year honours while starring for TRU a couple of years ago.
This weekend should also see the return of second-year defender
Chris Serban (Calgary), the Canada West and CIS Rookie of the Year in 2014, to the starting lineup. He had been recovering from an injury and saw action the previous two weeks as a substitute.
Saturday's game will take place under the lights at Thunderbird Stadium as UBCO rolls into town. The Heat are 1-3-0, tied for last place in the division. They have the fewest goals for in the Canada West this season, while the Thunderbirds have scored six times, tied for second in the division alongside UFV.
Gagan Dosanjh (Abbotsford, B.C.) leads UBC with two goals, while
Titouan Chopin (Kaslo, B.C.),
Luke Griffin (Coquitlam, B.C.),
Harry Lakhan (Surrey, B.C.) and
Sean Einarsson (Surrey, B.C.) each have one.
Kickoff against TRU on Friday is set for 6 p.m. PT, and Saturday's game begins at 7 p.m. PT.
