After two full 45-minute halves with nothing on the scoreboard to show for it, something had to give.
Fortunately for the UBC-Okanagan Heat, Owen Spicker had his foot on the heartbreaker that spoiled the day for the UNBC Timberwolves.
Set up by a quick flicker from teammate Felix Jones, Spicker’s close-range shot with one minute gone in injury time found the net just inside the goalpost behind goalie Daniel Zadravec for the only goal in a 1-0 victory – the first of the season for the visiting Heat.
“It’s always a close game (with UNBC),” said Jacob York, one of the most dangerous Heat forwards all game, whose near-miss in the 72nd minute could have decided it. “We got some free kicks in the second half in their end and created some chances but overall just held it down and got the W and it’s meaningful.
“That’s Owen’s first goal, his first of many, hopefully.”
On a day when quality scoring chances were few and far between for either team, the T-wolves had to feel a bit cheated on a bright Friday afternoon at Masich Place Stadium. They built up an edge in ball possession and led by their Japanese rocket, second-year midfielder Kensho Ando, they did manage to get got pressure on veteran Heat goalie Nicholas Reitsma, but on every occasion lacked the finishing touches. That’s been the story of the T-wolves’ season.
“Credit to them and their resilience getting that goal, but we have to be better than we were in terms of creating and finishing our chances, because we had a ton of possession and we had chances and didn’t deal with it, so that’s on us,” said T-wolves head coach Steve Simonson.
“It’s indicative of pretty much every game for us, maybe barring a half, here and there. We’ve been easily good enough to win games and haven’t done it. We have to take care of both ends of the field and that’s what’s killing us. Dumb mistakes at the back and missing chances at the front.”
The speedy Ando has found another gear in his second Canada West soccer season since arriving at UNBC in 2019 from Tokyo. He came in as the T-wolves’ leading scorer with a goal and three assists in the first six games and he came close to scoring his second of the season in the 79th minute, running two-thirds the length of the field to blast a low shot that Reitsma absorbed. Just before that attempt, in the 65th minute, Ando fed Abou Cisse a pass into the crease but Cisse’s shot was blocked by Reitsma as the sixth-year goalie dropped to the field.
Simonson says Ando is on pace for a season that merits Canada West all-star consideration.
“I think he’s one of the best players in our division right now, that I’ve seen so far,” said Simonson. “He’s been unbelievable for us He’s the heart and soul of what we’re doing and hopefully people take notice of that.”
The T-wolves were coming off an inspirational 3-3 tie with the UBC Thunderbirds the previous weekend in Vancouver, in which they scored three late goals in seven minutes to draw even. But after that offensive flurry there was no carryover effect into Friday’s game.
“It’s a full game where we dominated play and then just a moment where we kind of shut off, but with our season and how it’s going, we wanted to go for it there and that’s kind of how things go when you’re pushing forward,” said 24-year-old UNBC midfielder Alex Neilson.
“We had a few good chances and were in good spots, it just didn’t come off today.”
UNBC’s record dropped to 0-4-3, while UBC-O improved to 1-2-2. The winless T-wolves are now down to their last five games but still have a shot at a playoff spot because nobody’s running away with it in the Pacific Division. Heading into Friday’s game, Thompson Rivers and Trinity Western led the division with 2-0-4 records.
The T-wolves and Heat meet again at noon Saturday at Masich to complete the weekend set.
Tonight at 6 p.m. the UNBC women (0-6-0) will try to gain their first point of the season against the winless Heat (0-2-2), followed by a Saturday rematch at 6 p.m.
