VANCOUVER – Chris Fisher scored in the 74th minute but the Heat responded with a late goal of their own as the UBC Thunderbirds and UBC Okanagan Heat played to a 1-1 draw Friday night at a chilly Thunderbird Stadium.
Scoreless through 45 minutes, the T-Birds finally broke through with Fisher's first as a Thunderbird, but UBC was unable to seal the deal, allowing the Heat to get level ten minutes later.
"It's déjà vu, all over again," said a disappointed UBC Head Coach Mike Mosher. "We give away stupid free kicks and then we don't deal with them. That's at least three times this season. We got to stop giving away free kicks late in the game in our own half, period."
The T-Birds continued to press throughout the scoreless opening half. Nicholas Momotani had a number of quality chances including a sharp angle shot from the left side that barely went wide of the far post.
Christopher Lee nearly opened scoring in the 56th with a rising shot that was helped over the crossbar by Heat goalkeeper Nicholas Reitsma.
The ensuing corner by Lee ping ponged around a number of times in the box before bouncing off the underside of the bar, somehow staying out, eventually cleared off the line by a UBCO defender.
The Heat nearly capitalized themselves in the 62nd when an Aaron Mulama ball in intended for Owen Spicker was just knocked wide of the UBC net.
Finally the T-Birds were able to break open the deadlocked tie in the 74th. A corner taken by Mitch Piraux was sent back to Sam Fletcher who whipped the ball into the area where it was headed in with perfection by Fisher.
"It was nice for Chris to come in and have a solid game," said Mosher. "I'm really pleased with Chris to have had a strong game, he gets the goal and it's too bad it's not the winner."
While UBC's marker almost seemed to come as a collective sigh of relief, the Heat had other plans and were indeed able to get level before full time.
In the 84th, Aidan Tuck's free kick from the sideline was sent nicely into the box where it was headed in by Spicker for his second of the season.
Once again, the T-Birds were forced to settle for the single point as they enter Saturday's rematch with the Heat in sole possession of the final playoff berth in the West division, but just two points back of Victoria and three behind second place Trinity Western.
"Once we got the goal I thought we had done enough to maybe see the game out and win it. We need a little bit more cutting edge in the final third, it's disappointing to lose another lead late in the game."
UBC will regroup and take the field against UBCO for the final time this regular season at 7:30 p.m. PT at Thunderbird Stadium.
