VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds men's soccer team close out the home portion of their Canada West regular season by hosting the Trinity Western Spartans for a pair of contests this Friday and Saturday, October 15
th and 16
th at Thunderbird Stadium.
Both teams come into action with 13 points each and currently tied for third spot in the west division however UBC does have two games in hand on TWU who'll see their regular season conclude following Saturday evenings game before enjoying their bye week prior to potential playoff involvement.
With that the Spartans will be keen to collect any points they can in their final two games this weekend to remain in playoff position and make it as tough as possible for the three teams below them in the west standings (all with two games in hand) to overtake them over the next two weeks. TWU will also be looking to snap out of a three-game losing streak that included home field setbacks of 5-1 and 3-0 to UVic last weekend.
Meanwhile the T-Birds who've dealt with their share of injury issues to veteran standout players will try build off a much-needed confidence boost last Saturday in the form of a 2-0 win over the visiting UBC Okanagan Heat. The 'Birds battled to create second half markers from
Mackenzie Cole and
Tristan Nkoghe while
Bennett McKay earned the clean sheet in goal. The squads first win in three outings served as a reminder of how you get rewarded as a team when you clean up some habits and sharpen the focus.
"We have certainly seen some adversity this season to date," said UBC head coach
Mike Mosher. "However, it was nice for the group to see some end product for the efforts they have put forth to date. Hard work, belief and perseverance is what is going to get us through these times."
It's always an intense affair when these old rivals meet and this weekend will be no different with what's at stake at a critical time of the season.
"Trinity always provides a tough game and we expect nothing less this coming weekend," added Mosher. "With the way results have gone in our division so far, every team is desperate for points and that will certainly be the case for TWU as this represents their final weekend of games as they look to secure a playoff spot."
Kikcoff for both Friday and Saturday is set for 7:30 p.m. at Thunderbird Stadium.
Tickets are free but must be reserved in advance.
Both games will also be streamed live on
Canada West TV.
