VANCOUVER - The first-place UBC Thunderbirds (9-1-3) will close out their regular season with a pair of divisional meetings this weekend against two Canada West teams still jostling for playoff positioning as the postseason nears. The No.5-ranked 'Birds head to Langley to face the Trinity Western Spartans (7-6-1) on Friday, October 18, at 7:15 p.m. PT before coming back home to host the UFV Cascades on Sunday, October 20, at 2:00 p.m. PT at Thunderbird Stadium.
Heading into the final weekend of Pacific division play, the 'Birds top the standings with a 0.769 win percentage and are the only team to have already clinched a playoff berth. The Spartans' are narrowly behind the University of Victoria Vikes (7-5-1) for third, while the Cascades currently hold the fourth and final postseason spot with a slight edge over the UBC Okanagan Heat (6-6-4).
Last Action
UBC put up back-to-back clean sheets against their provincial rival Victoria Vikes in the Legends Cup series last weekend to cement their playoff berth. Victory Shumbusho scored two goals en route to a 3-0 road win on the island to bring his total to a conference-high nine goals on the year and five goals in his last three games. The third-year forward's impressive showing earned him the Canada West third star of the week honours for the second straight week. The 'Birds then shutout the Vikes 4-0 on home field for the series sweep.
UFV came out on top in their two-game series with the Spartans a week ago - earning 3-2 victories both at home and on the road to leapfrog UBCO for the last playoff berth heading.
Coach's Take
UBC head coach Mike Mosher says his squad is aiming to end the season on a high and build off of their recent momentum.
"I think the key is to try and maintain consistency in our performances through these final games," said Mosher. "We seem to have found a good level of performance for most of the recent games and now we want to maintain that through this weekend and heading into the playoffs. Both games will be challenging as always as our opponents are battling to make the playoffs and playoff positioning."
