VANCOUVER – As the Canada West playoffs inch closer, the UBC Thunderbirds are heating up at just the right time having earned a third straight victory Saturday night by way of a 2-1 win over the host Trinity Western Spartans.
Trailing until the final moments of the second half, the T-Birds (8-3-2) got two late goals from Marcus Puhalj and Nicholas Momotani who scored the game winner three minutes into stoppage time to give UBC a valuable win, while officially ending the Spartan's slim hopes of making the playoffs.
"I loved the resilience and perseverance shown by our group tonight," said UBC Head Coach Mike Mosher following the gutsy finish. "I thought we really deserved something from that second half performance and we stayed with it and it came finally at the end. It was like a playoff game given the implications for each side."
Thomas Powell opened scoring for TWU (6-8-2) in the 21st minute on a penalty kick, giving the desperate Spartans a huge early boost. The penalty was awarded after T-Birds keeper Axel Thulin Lennselius collided with Powell who made no mistake when given the opportunity to get his side on the board.
Down 1-0 after 45 minutes, the entire second half belonged to the 'Birds although it took until the 88th minute to finally get the ball into the net.
Both Victory Shumbusho and Thomas Gardner had quality looks but both were denied by TWU keeper Alexander Cordeiro who made six saves on the night.
UBC outshot the Spartans by a 12-1 margin in the second half, earned a total of nine corner kicks to TWU's lone attempt, and generally held firm possession of the ball.
The dramatic game-tying goal saw Puhalj head the ball into the net from about ten yards out for his second of the season. On a corner kick, Gardner played the ball to Markus Kaiser whose ball in was perfectly deflected by Puhalj, devastating the Spartans.
Momotani's game winner saw the second year T-Bird hammer the ball into the far corner of the net, giving UBC two additional points that could be crucial in the quest to finish atop the Pacific division heading into the final weekend of the regular season.
"I also really liked what we got off the bench tonight from Momo, Fussell and then Asvin (Chauhan) later on," Mosher added. "I'm really pleased for guys like Puhalj and Momo to get those big goals - they've put in the work and often fly under the radar with some of the guys we have. And what can you say about Eric Lajeunesse- another top performance from him and what a run to help make that last minute goal - that boy has a lot of positive qualities going for him."
Now with two games remaining, both at home, the T-Birds hold a two point advantage over the Thompson Rivers WolfPack for first in the Pacific. It all leads to a big showdown next Saturday night at Thunderbird Stadium where the two will battle in the final match of the season. Friday night the WolfPack are in Victoria to take on the Vikes while the 'Birds host the UBC Okanagan Heat.
Tickets for both T-Bird games next weekend are on sale now with kickoff Friday set for 6:30 p.m. PT while Saturday's matchup with TRU begins at 7:00 p.m.
