Scheduled Game: FRASER VALLEY*

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GAME RESULTS 1 2 T Fraser Valley 0 0 0 TRINITY WESTERN 0 1 1 « FINAL

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Game Recap

MEN’S SOCCER (CANADA WEST)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2012
TRINITY WESTERN (1) FRASER VALLEY (0)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SPARTANS CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT WITH WIN OVER UFV

LANGLEY, British Columbia – With Jarvis Ambaka (Maragoli, Kenya) playing hero by scoring the game’s lone tally, the Trinity Western men’s soccer team clinched a Canada West playoff spot with a 1-0 win over Fraser Valley Friday at Rogers Field.

Despite a strong showing from the Cascades that saw the visitors create several high-quality scoring chances and outshoot TWU 24-10, the Spartans, in another feisty cross-town affair, held on for the win. For the second straight game against UFV, Ambaka scored the winning goal as he, off a scrambled corner kick in the 74th minute, blocked a Cascades clearing attempt and saw the ball deflect into the back of the net. The last time these two teams played, Sept. 15, Ambaka also got the winner as he scored two second half goals to help the Spartans rally from a one-goal halftime deficit to earn a 2-1 win.

For the Spartans, the victory officially put them into the post-season dance with an 8-1-2 record and with a win against Victoria Saturday, TWU can assure itself of at least second place in the Pacific Division.

The loss was a critical setback for the Cascades, who are now 3-4-4 on the year and remain four points behind the Vikes for the third and final playoff position.

“It was not a pretty win but it was a win none the less,” said Spartans coach Pat Rohla. “We’re happy that we got the win but we’re not satisfied. That UFV team is a plucky team and I think at times we underestimated how hard they like to come at you. With our changes in the back line (playing without the suspended Cody Strelau due to yellow card accumulation), we lacked a bit of continuity in how we played. But we’re just thankful Jarvis was in the right place at the right time to keep doing what he’s doing.”

The Cascades had the better of the chances in the first half as they were close to breaking the deadlock on no less than three occasions.

The Cascades Sasa Plavsic (Coquitlam, B.C.) nearly opened the scoring in the third minute when he took a cross off the right flank and, from just a few yards off the line, headed the ball just over bar with a gaping Spartans net awaiting.

Fraser Valley continued to create Grade “A” chances as Craig Robinson (Chilliwack, B.C.) nearly got the Cascades on the board in the 24th minute when his presence caused havoc in the box and forced TWU goalie Evan Lowther (Surrey, B.C.) to scrabble back to nab a net-seeking ball off the goal line.

Robinson had another near-goal in the 39th minute on a quality attempt but it was Lowther once again making the save to preserve the scoreless line.

For the Spartans, it was Andy Phillips (Lake Errock, B.C.) creating the most dangerous opportunities, but despite the Spartans producing plenty of offensive pushes, UFV goalie Mark Village (Abbotsford, B.C.) was largely untested in the opening 45 minutes.

In the second half, the Cascades continued to push for the opening tally but each time they got a chance, it was either high, wide or Lowther was there to make the save.
In the 59th minute, Plavsic had another close call when his shot off the right wing was stopped by a diving Lowther.

The Spartans nearly had a goal in the 62nd minute when a scramble in the box saw a shot on goal stopped by the hand of one of the Cascades defenders. The hand-ball went unnoticed by the referee and the play continued.

But then in the 74th minute, the Spartans – having finally put some serious pressure on the Cascades, largely off corner kicks – got the winner. After TWU’s Spencer Schmidt (Abbotsford) placed a corner kick into the box, a mad scramble ensued. After a couple of Spartans whiffed on shot attempts and bodies flying everywhere, an ill-advised clearing attempt went off the leg of Ambaka and into the back of the net.

From there, the Spartans played lockdown defence and, despite a few near chances, didn’t allow the Cascades a shot on target the rest of the way.

The Spartans Lowther finished with 10 saves on the night while Village made six saves for UFV.

The Spartans are back on the pitch Saturday when they take on Victoria at Rogers Field at 7 p.m. The Cascades will play at UBC Saturday at 7 p.m.

Game Notes: UFV had 10 shots on target to TWU’s 7…there were seven yellow cards distributed as TWU’s Cameron Parkes (North Delta, B.C.), Taylor Johnson (Strathmore, Alta.) and Rhys Volkenant (Surrey) and UFV’s Ravi Singh (Abbotsford), Justin Sekhon (Abbotsford), Jared Gibbons (Langley) and Ryan Liddiard (Kamloops, B.C.) were all booked.

-TW-

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