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VANCOUVER – The 2017 Canada West men's soccer season has just one chapter remaining, as the conference's Final Four heads to UBC this weekend.
The Thunderbirds, who earned the right to host the event by virtue of their Pacific Division best 10-4-1 regular season record and a 2-1 quarter-final win over Mount Royal, are aiming for a CW record 17th conference banner when they welcome the Alberta Golden Bears, Trinity Western Spartans, and Thompson Rivers WolfPack to town Friday and Saturday.
UBC enjoyed another terrific regular season under longtime head coach Mike Mosher, who guided the T-Birds to 10 victories. While the Thunderbirds were the only team in the conference to reach double-digit victories during the regular season, two of the four teams who handed UBC losses this season are in the field.
Both TWU and Alberta got the better of the T-Birds earlier this fall, as the Spartans earned a 2-1 victory Oct. 20 in the second of two matchups with UBC, while Alberta earned a 1-0 win back on Sept. 24.
The Spartans enter the Final Four following their convincing 6-2 victory over the Calgary Dinos in the CW quarters, while the Bears enter the tournament after a 3-0 win over the UNBC Timberwolves.
Alberta, who are the defending CW and U SPORTS champions, comes into the weekend riding an eight-game unbeaten streak, as their last and only loss this season came Sept. 23 against TWU in a 2-0 home setback. That game also marked the first of two times this season Alberta yielded two goals, as the Bears sported the conference's top defence this season, yielding just nine goals over 14 regular season games.
The Bears and Spartans meet in the semis Friday, as the duo look to keep their hope of a CW banner and a national championship alive.
Speaking of the national tourney, TRU already knows they'll be competing for U SPORTS gold regardless of the outcome in their semifinal against UBC, as the 'Pack are set to host nationals Nov. 9-12 in Kamloops for the first time.
It's been a remarkable season for TRU, as they earned a CW playoff berth for the first time in program history, thanks to a 6-3-6 regular season. The WolfPack followed that up with a dominant 5-1 win over Saskatchewan on the road in the quarter-finals.
Sparked by Mitchell Popadynetz, who led the conference in assists this season with 10, TRU played both UBC and TWU tough this season in a combined four meetings with their lower mainland counterparts. The WolfPack went 0-1-3 against the pair, showing their ability to hang with the Pacific Division's top two teams.
Just one berth at the U SPORTS Men's Soccer Championship is up for grabs this weekend, as the CW champion – or runner-up in the case of a TRU win – will be headed to the national tournament.
Whoever represents Canada West will be aiming to keep the conference's strong record at the event alive, as a CW team has claimed four of the last six national titles and three of the last four hosted in Western Canada.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, Nov. 3 - Thunderbird Stadium
5 p.m. - TWU vs. ALB (semi)
7:30 p.m. - TRU vs. UBC (semi)
Saturday Nov. 4 - Ken Woods Field
5 p.m. - Bronze medal game
Saturday Nov. 4 - Thunderbird Stadium
8 p.m. - Gold medal game
*All games will be streamed live on Canada West TV.
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