VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds men's soccer team is set to open quarterfinal playoff action this weekend when they host the Mount Royal Cougars at Thunderbird Stadium Saturday, October 27^th at 6:00 p.m.
 
The Thunderbirds who finished atop the Canada West standings and as a result have been recognized as the No. 4 ranked team in the country are feeling very confident heading into post-season play. The hosts concluded an impressive regular season campaign with a 13-1-2 record and 41 points, tied for the most wins and most points in a single season in CW history (Alberta, 2016).


 
Last Action
 
The T-Birds closed out the regular season with a 2-0 win over UBC Okanagan last Saturday before suffering a 1-0 setback the next afternoon against Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack. It was the 'Birds first loss of the season and came with a heavily rotated squad, resting several starting players with an eye towards playoff competition on the horizon.
 
The Cougars (5-8-1) finished fourth in the Prairie Division and enter the post season coming off two wins and two losses in October, this includes their latest outing on the road last Sunday where they edged the Lethbridge Pronghorns 2-1.
 
The last time these two teams met in late September it was the T-Birds coming away with a 1-0 victory on home turf thanks to a Thomas Gardner free kick goal in the 26^th minute of action.


 
By the Numbers
 
43 – The 'Birds scored 43 goals during the regular season which was the most in Canada West and was nine more markers than the next closest team.
 
10 – The T-Birds were stingy on defence allowing just 10 goals against in the regular season which was the second most in CW play, four more goals conceded than the University of Alberta who played two fewer games and finished atop the Prairie Division standings.
 
Players to Watch
 
Victory Shumbusho (#7, F) – The second-year forward is finding his rhythm at the right time and scored his second straight game winning goal in last Saturday's 2-0 win at UBCO. Shumbusho enters the post season with three goals and is a threat once again after dealing with a groin injury that limited his playing time to start the season.
 
Kristian Yli-Hietanen (#17, F) – The fourth-year forward went on a torrid goal scoring spree in the back half of the season and finished with a team high 10 goals, good for third overall on the CW goal scoring list.


 
Coach's Take
 
"We are certainly pleased with our regular season on the whole, but these are the games and time of year when you really need to bring it," said long-time UBC head coach Mike Mosher. "We need to put last weekend's loss at TRU behind us and get that hunger and momentum back as we head towards nationals now which are just two short weeks away."
 
Mosher also sized up what he expects to see from the Cougars on Saturday night.
 
"Mount Royal have played us tough both this year and last year in the playoffs so we expect another difficult game," added Mosher. "Like many coaches in Canada West, Ryan (Gyaki) does a good job of having his team organized and motivated for the challenge so we best be ready for that."