Like hawks dive-bombing their targeted prey, the UBC Thunderbirds came on strong in the late stages of a scoreless draw with the UNBC Timberwolves on a crisp, breezy afternoon Sunday at Masich Place Stadium.
The T-birds, the fifth-ranked university men’s soccer team in Canada, continued to peck away at the net and kept UNBC goalie Rob Goodey on defensive, but on this day the T-wolves were equal to the challenge.
Goodey and his defence defused an arsenal of all-star talent on the UBC side, locking away a 0-0 tie and an important point which kept the T-wolves (4-5-2) in the thick of the playoff race, with just four games left.
The fourth-year ‘keeper made at least a handful of superb stops but his best came in the 79th minute when T-wolves defender Jordan Haynes let go a screamer of a shot that flew inches off the turf and was heading for the corner of the cage until Goodey came out of nowhere to with his body outstretched to get his hands on the ball. He was still feeling the effects of a rib injury that forced him to miss the previous three games but it certainly didn’t slow his reflexes, like his leaping larceny to steal a goal away from Kerman Pannu on a free kick from just outside the box in the 66th minute.
The T-wolves had extended stretches when they came close to scoring, especially in the first half. Hussein Behery let go a point-blank shot from the centre of the field from 20 yards out in the 26th minute that was swallowed by UBC goalie Jason Roberts. Michael Henman also came close in the last minute of the half with the ball on his foot but Roberts rushed out of his crease to block the attack.
“You look at the 0-0 tie and you think all we did we was sit in and weather a storm and weathered it for 10 (minutes) at the end but I thought for a lot of the game we were the better team and created some of the better chances, especially over the first 60 minutes,” said T-wolves head coach Steve Simonson. “I thought we could have been up one goal or two even, but they had chances to win, too and I’m not taking anything away from them and I’m proud of our guys.”
Friday night at Masich the T-birds won a tight 2-1 contest decided in the 73rd minute on a penalty-kick goal from Pannu. In that game, UNBC midfielder Anthony Preston was handed two yellow cards and fullback Luke Brbot drew is third yellow card of the season and that meant both had to sit out Sunday’s game.
Brbot’s banishment created an opportunity for 20-year-old Mitch Linley of Fort St. John to make his first start on the back line and it was an impactful debut for the six-foot-four, 195-pound biochemistry major, now in his second season with the T-wolves.
“Most of the time I’m nervous but today it was a bit different, I was excited, I wanted to prove to my coach and my team that I can play,” said Linley. “It sucked that Luke was out but I wanted to prove I can be the backup and fight for my spot.
“The game was really tough. We sat, but we also gave them a couple chances that out them on their toes. We were happy it was a goal-less draw, it shows we can’t be pushed around and we’re a top team, just like them.”
Linley’s only previous game experience came early in the season when he played two minutes as an injury replacement in Victoria.
“He’s worked very hard for two years and hasn’t seen the pitch and to come in for one of the biggest games of the season and play as well as he did, I’m happy for him,” said Simonson.
UNBC will be on the road Friday and Saturday at Trinity Western, then finish the season at home against Thompson Rivers, Oct. 19-20. The T-wolves sit fifth in the Pacific and only the top four qualify for playoffs. UBC head coach Mike Mosher would not be surprised in the T-wolves get back into the postseason after just barely missing the playoffs in 2018.
“Steve’s done a terrific job in his time here, he’s recruited well and his teams are always well-organized, they give you things to think about and credit to him,” sad Mosher. “Another positive for the program here and the local community, you can see there’s a lot of Prince George kids (10) on the roster and kudos to those that are developing the layers around here and the UNBC program.”
The UNBC women (3-2-3) played to a scoreless draw with the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack Sunday afternoon in Kamloops. Brooke Molby made three saves for her league-leading fifth shutout of the season. She’s allowed just one goal in six games.
On Saturday the T-wolves lost 1-0 to the UBC-Okanagan Heat.
The T-wolves women are at home this weekend. They face Trinity Western Friday at 6 p.m., and host Fraser Valley next Sunday at noon.
