The UBC Thunderbirds are undefeated no more, as they suffered a hard-fought 1-0 loss on the road against the Victoria Vikes.
While they were able to spend a lot of time in the UVic half, the 'Birds were unable to break down the home team's strong defensive front.
That showed in the game's opening 15 minutes, when UBC was able to rack up four shots on target, but all from the edge or outside of the area and often through traffic.
Jost Hausendorf had the best chance of the first half for the Thunderbirds, when he was played through on a partial breakaway in the 41st. However, the big forward was unable to beat the keeper, and it looked like the score would remain 0-0 going into halftime.
That is until the Vikes suddenly struck in first half stoppage time, off a cross that sat invitingly in the box before it was swept home by Fin Tugwell. This marked the first time UBC had trailed in a game in over a month, and meant they had work to do in the second half if they were to keep their undefeated streak going.
Bennett McKay was called into action a couple of times after the break, and did well to keep the scoreline the same. The T-Birds kept the pressure up as the game wore on, but found themselves frustrated by strong defensive play from the Vikes that kept them from generating Grade A scoring opportunities.
Things got worse for the visitors as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes, when
Noah Hrdlicka was shown a straight red card to put the 'Birds down to 10 men. Despite that, they had one more chance in the dying moments, when the ball was played towards
Joven Mann who was wide open at the edge of the six-yard box. Sadly, it was poked away at the last moment by a UVic defender.
The game thus ended 1-0, despite the T-Birds recording seven shots on target compared to just three for the Vikes. UBC will have the chance for some measure of revenge on Saturday, when these two teams face off again at Thunderbird Stadium. That game begins at 4:00 p.m. (PT), with first place in the Pacific Division on the line.
Â
