VANCOUVER, B.C. – UBC Thunderbirds men's soccer team (8-0-2) continued their unbeaten season apace with a frustrating 1-0 victory over the visiting UNBC Timberwolves (1-9-2) on Friday evening, in the first of two back-to-back matches between the two sides this weekend.
Oliver Herbert set UBC on their way with a nice finish 16 minutes in, but they were unable to add to their tally against strong defensive play from the visitors, despite the T-Wolves playing almost all of the second half a man down after Matteo Cuzzetto's sending off.
"We just have to have better quality," UBC head coach
Mike Mosher mused after the match. "You get the second goal and it's good night, God bless, but the quality just wasn't great. When we got decent deliveries in we got no runners. Some of the crosses could have been better.
"Our quality just wasn't good enough today and thus we invited trouble. Fortunately, we get out with three points. It's just not good enough and we're going to have to just look at it as we go into tomorrow and going forward. We have players who have to give us more quality or we have to get other players in the game, period."
UNBC had the first look on goal just three minutes in, with Hagon Kim's spinning shot flying over.
It was an entertaining start, with the action flowing from end to end, but the Thunderbirds found the breakthrough in the 16th minute when
Markus Kaiser's pass found its way through a crowd to play in Herbert. The midfielder showed fleet of foot in the box before dinking the ball over the onrushing Logan Pierce in the Timberwolves goal.
Henri Godbout almost doubled UBC's lead two minutes later, but Pierce superbly turned his fierce shot around the near post.
That was to be as good as it got for the Thunderbirds in the first half, as the Timberwolves low block frustrated the home side and their resolute defending prevented them from adding to their tally.
The second half started in dramatic fashion as
Max Comsia pounced on a misplay from Kim, nicking the ball and bearing down on goal. Cuzzetto's last-dich and last man challenge right on the edge of the box saw the half time sub sent off just seven seconds after coming on.
Lee crashed the subsequent free kick off the left post, with a rocket of a shot, and after that it was mostly one-way traffic for the home side, although full credit to UNBC, who still tried to hit on the counter.
Both teams had a couple of half chances, with Comsia flashing one narrowly wide for UBC in the 86th minute, the closest the home side had come to increasing their lead.
Cole Gunhold had a free header in front of goal for the Timberwolves in stoppage time, but his effort went straight at
Bennett McKay before Pierce had to dive to turn away a
Joven Mann effort late on as UBC had to settle for the single goal victory.
Both teams will be back at it once again on Saturday evening at Thunderbird Stadium. Kick off for that one is 7:00 p.m. (PT).
