The Peak

Clan defeat UBC, set sights on Trinity Western

By Matt Lee, Associate Staff Contributor

The SFU men’s soccer team were looking to end their two-game skid with a win against rival UBC and that’s exactly what they did.

After dropping two shutout contests to Western Washington University and Seattle, the Clan responded with a blanking of their own. They beat UBC 2-0 to secure their seventh straight Adidas Challenge Cup last Wednesday night.

The victory puts SFU’s all-time record against the Thunderbirds at an impressive 12-9-4.

The two sides exchanged chances in the first half with SFU getting outshot 6-1, but neither could generate a goal. It was not until the 52nd minute that the Clan would score their first tally.

Tom Lowndes bagged his second goal of the season when he fired a Carson Gill rebound into the UBC net. Lowndes’ two goals are both game-winning strikes, the most of any member on the Clan.

Liam Miller also snagged a goal when he kicked in a Stefano Pannu shot that sailed through the box from eight yards out. The insurance marker came at the 70th minute mark, the 2nd-year forward’s first goal of the campaign.

“Because we had conceded a goal so late in our loss [earlier in the week] against Seattle, I think the team was a little tentative in the first half,” said SFU head coach Alan Koch. “But in the second half we figured it out and stepped up our play, creating chances and finishing off those chances.”

Although the team was outshot 6-1 in the first half, SFU roared back and peppered UBC with 10 shots in the second, proving to be too much for UBC to handle.

SFU put a little more salt in the wounds by handing UBC their first defeat of the season. The Thunderbirds, who are ranked second in the CIS, stood undefeated at 6-0-2. SFU was ranked No. 14 in the NAIA heading into the UBC affair, down four spots from No. 10 last week.

Next on the schedule for the men is another strong contest against Trinity Western, the club who dismantled SFU in their first game of the season, 5-1. However, the boys will have the benefit of being able to play in their own backyard this time on Terry Fox Field.

“We’ve come a long way since that first game. Obviously, a new group with a new coach was evident in the first game and we’ve progressed a long way. We’ve redefined ourselves and we have a pretty good idea of what our identity is like. We’ve managed to win some big games and we’re very excited for the rematch,” noted Koch.