Oliver Rizun, Heat Sports Information
Kelowna, BC - After a poor second half performance in Kamloops on Friday night, the Heat bounced back with a solid performance against the WolfPack on the Nonis Sports on Sunday afternoon. Quality scoring chances were hard to come by for either squad throughout the match, with very few clear cut opportunities.
With the draw the Heat add another point to their season tally as they sit with a 1-1-2 record so far through two weeks of conference play.
First half:
The best chance of the first half came 15 minutes in as Aaron Mulama forced a mistake from WolfPack goalkeeper Alex Ram and Corbin Beauchemin had a look at goal from 12 yards out but it was cleared off the line. The WolfPack's best opportunity came near the end on the half was James Fraser made a run from out-wide and cut the ball back to the six yard box but no 'Pack player was able to finish.
Second half:
Midfielder Taylor Piche would have the best chance of the second half as he would make a deep run from behind the half way line but would fire his shot from inside the box just wide to the left. The WolfPack would have several opportunities of their own but were never able to find the net.
TRU in the second half had a couple of solid opportunities in the 70 minute range. Off of a throw in the ball made it to the far post and Justin Donaldson was unable to bury the redirect, hitting the side of the net. In the 77th minute Jason Stalger had a decent look but shot the ball over the bar.
Reitsma continues good play:
UBCO keeper Nicholas Reitsma continued his strong start to the season with his second clean sheet of the conference season so far. The second year netminder has allowed a goal or less in all but one match so far.
Players thoughts:
Fourth year defender Hamish Walde noted that the team made some adjustments following the loss in Kamloops on Friday night and it payed dividends in the match. "We knew the mistakes we made on Friday and corrected them going into today. Were one of the best passing teams around and we tried to do a little more of that today.
The captain also noted that one of the things that makes this years team special is the depth. " We have a lot of guys who can step in and make a difference for us. Even the guys who don't get to play all the time are quality players and we keep bringing quality players in year after year. We have had some injuries the last couple years and that's when our depth comes in handy".
Presidents Cup:
This marked the first segment of the inter-university rivalry between the two Okanagan schools with volleyball and basketball being the other sports that are contested between the programs. The women's soccer team will be up with the WolfPack during the first weekend of October. For full history on the Presidents Cup click here.
What's next:
The Heat will now hit the road for two matches against both the UBC Thunderbirds (1-0-1) and the University of Victoria Vikes (0-2-0). The WolfPack will also be playing against these two programs next weekend in both Victoria and Vancouver.