VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds (6-0-2) fought back from two goals down to come away with a 2-2 draw against the University of Victoria Vikes at Thunderbird Stadium on Saturday evening.
Felipe Morales Moya's 15th minute goal had put the visitors ahead and when they doubled their lead on the hour mark through Evan Larson's wonderstrike, it looked like the Vikes would be heading back to the island after a six-point weekend.
UBC had other ideas and pulled one back in the 65th minute through a
Max Comsia penalty, and
Oliver Herbert's strike from just outside the box secured the draw for the Thunderbirds with 10 minutes remaining, keeping them unbeaten on the season eight games in.
"They were well set up to defend us today," UBC head coach
Mike Mosher mused after the match. "We were poor in the first half. I don't think I've seen us pass the ball off the field so many times in the last two years. We put ourselves in a deficit, but credit to the guys for coming back and getting a result in the end from where were, 2-0 down at 60 minutes.
"We looked tired. In moments we looked tired today and that's a little bit from yesterday, having the game take a little bit more out of us than we might have hoped. But credit to the guys, we made changes, they brought good energy. You're losing the game and you have to put guys in that you trust can score goals, and that's what we did."
UBC dominated the first half possession but were struggling to penetrate a well organized Victoria side, who were happy to sit back, soak up the pressure, and look dangerous on the counter.
Morales had the first chance of the game for UVic just a couple of minutes in, but fired over from a good position.
A quick transition play gave Victoria the lead. Owen Lemmer whipped a low cross in from the left and UBC keeper
Jack Garner was quickly off his line to get a hand on it. Unfortunately for UBC the ball deflected off the shin of Morales and into the net and the visitors had the breakthrough.
UBC were struggling to get an effective attack going, but they came within inches of going in at the break on level terms when
Luke Norman's shot from the edge of the box hit the bar and went over.
Victoria doubled their lead on the hour mark with a superb 20-yard strike from Larson that nestled past Garner into the bottom corner. The 5th year couldn't have struck the ball sweeter and UBC now had it all to go in the last half hour.
The Thunderbirds got the chance to get themselves back into the game just five minutes later when a streaking
Henri Godbout was brought down in the box and Comsia dispatched the penalty past Callum Weir with aplomb.
UBC were now playing with a confidence and cohesion that hadn't been there for the first hour of the match and were looking the more likely to add to the scoreline and they did just that with 10 minutes remaining when Herbert's low shot from the edge of the box took a slight deflection on the way through, wrong-footing Weir and ending up in the back of the net.
That set up a pulsating ending, but neither team could find the late winner and had to settle for a share of the points.
Next up for UBC is a trip to Edmonton next Sunday to take on the University of Alberta Golden Bears.
