Scheduled Game: UBC@CW FF-Victoria

2

GAME RESULTS 1 2 3 4 5 T Trinity Western 0 0 1 0 1 2 « FINAL British Columbia 0 0 1 0 0 1

1

Game Recap

Men's Soccer (Canada West - Semi Final)
Friday, October 31, 2008
TWU Spartans (2) vs. the University of Victoria (1) - 5-3 in shootout

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UPSET SPARTANS HEADED BACK TO NATIONALS!

VICTORIA - The Trinity Western Spartans were perfect from the penalty spot this evening as they downed the UBC Thunderbirds 2-1 in the Canada West semi-finals this evening in Victoria. The win gives the Spartans a fourth straight appearance at the CIS Championships.

The Spartans were a perfect 6-for-6 in penalty kicks tonight, notching one to tie in overtime and then Jordan Hart completed a perfect Spartan shootout, slotting home the final stake in the UBC season.

It was a fitting end to a season long rivalry that featured penalty kicks at seemingly every major turn and this time the lottery of spot kick favoured the Spartans.

In the two league games played between these clubs, the T-Birds missed a pair of penalty kicks, while the Spartans were 1-for-1, a goal that gave them a tie in Vancouver late in the season.

Tonight it appeared the T-Birds gained the advantage with a Devin Gunenc conversion from 12 yards out after UBC earned a penalty kick following a Spartan foul in the 18-yard box just three minutes into the first overtime period.

The first-year out of North Vancouver, who earlier this week was named the Canada West Rookie of the Year, stepped up to the spot and calmly fired home the first goal of the match.

The Spartans responded with a penalty goal of their own in injury time of the first overtime session with Adrian Kekec netting the equalizer.

In the shootout, the Spartans would get goals from Mustafa Demirci, Jake Jorgensen, Paul Hamilton, and Adrian Kekec in addition to Hart's clincher. UBC responded with goals from Joey Loreth, Tyson Keam, and Marco Visintin. Graham Smith was the T-Birds third shooter and had his shot saved by a diving TWU keeper Andrew Kowan.

Regular time solved nothing between these two evenly matched long-time rivals. Both squads certainly had their chances but both keepers were equal to the task.

With three substitutes at the half, TWU came out with a renewed purpose and in the 62nd minute, Kekec blasted a shot from 22 yards out, forcing UBC goalie Srdjan Djekanovic into making a stellar leaping save to protect the top corner.

The T-Birds had stellar chances of their own, the best of which came off the boot of Jorge Angel-Mira. Angel-Mira would be found by Nick Poole unmarked at the top of the box, and with his rocketing shot heading towards the top corner, Kowan made a spectacular diving save to push the shot wide with just minutes remaining in the second half.

For the match, UBC out shot TWU 25-20 with Kowan making nine saves while Djekanovic made seven.

There were eight cautions in the match, five to TWU and three to UBC, as the squad's added another epic chapter to one of the most intense rivalries in all of the Canada West.

TWU will play the University of Victoria at 7:15 p.m. in tomorrow's Canada West gold medal match. The Vikes advanced by virtue of a 2-1 win over the University of Alberta.

-TW-

Source UVIC Sports Information

Play-by-Play

Photo Gallery