Matt Johnson, Huskie Athletics
SASKATOON – The visiting University of British Columbia Thunderbirds scored three goals in the final 45 minutes to defeat the Saskatchewan Huskie men's soccer team 3-0 on Field 7 inside Nutrien Park on Sept. 15.
The Thunderbirds, who entered the matchup ranked as the number five club in the nation, received goals from Sean Einarsson, Jora Soran and Caleb Clarke. Soran, Rylan Sangha, and Sam Fletcher added assists on the markers.
Huskies goalkeeper Greg Buckley was strong in the losing effort, as the fifth-year keeper had eight saves.
The victory moves the UBC to 4-0-1 on the season, while the Huskies fall to 2-3-0 after the loss.
"I thought for the first 65 minutes we were quite solid. We didn't give them many opportunities, and the opportunities that were given weren't dangerous," Huskies head coach Bryce Chapman said.
Tyler Redl had a great opportunity in the 8th minute to record what would have been his fifth goal of the 2018 Canada West campaign, but the fifth-year forward was unable to find the back of the net as his shot ran wide, after a terrific ball from Gabriel Buatois spotted Redl.
The Thunderbirds were quick to respond with a prime scoring opportunity of their own in the 11th minute, but Einarsson was stopped point blank by Buckley.
Minutes later, Einarsson did well to get a nifty backheel effort on, but Buckley was there, as the shot fell into his waiting arms.
Thomas Garner made a fantastic run in the 34th minute through the middle of the pitch, maneuvering his way through several Huskies. Fortunately for the Huskies, despite Gardner's strike sneaking past Buckley, the strike rung off the post.
In the 37th minute, Mason Ogoke and Marcello Gonzalez worked a pretty give and go, but Ogoke's crack from the left edge of the box sailed high, which kept the match in a stalemate.
The match remained at 0-0 until the 65th minute, when Jora Soran whipped in a beautiful corner kick which found the head of Einarsson. Einarsson's effort snuck underneath the crossbar, giving the Thunderbirds a 1-0 lead.
Second-half substitute Nikolas Baikas was looking to replicate his late-minute magic from last weekend against MacEwan in the 79th minute, but his curling effort narrowly missed the mark.
After a beautiful run from UBC's Rylan Sangha, the fifth-year midfielder spotted Saran who provided the Thunderbirds with an insurance marker in the 84th minute.
In extra-time of the second half, Clarke, the Thunderbirds standout striker added his third goal of the Canada West campaign, which all but sealed the road victory for his club.
Thunderbirds head coach Mike Mosher was extremely pleased with his team's effort on a brisk fall afternoon in Saskatoon.
"We could've had a couple of goals in the first half; we had a couple that hit the post and a couple that were cleared off the line. I was pretty happy with our performance overall; we had a pretty thorough 90 minute plus performance on the day," Mosher said.
After the match, Chapman acknowledged the difficulty of playing a program as strong as Thunderbirds.
"We knew what UBC was coming in with; they're number five in the country for a reason. They have a lot of depth and a lot of firepower. So we took a little bit more of a defensive approach, which gave up some options up top but I felt like we had our chances in the first half to put one or maybe two away," Chapman said.
The Huskies will be back in action tomorrow for their second game of the weekend, as the UNBC Timberwolves will take the pitch against Saskatchewan, with the match getting underway at 12:00 p.m. on Sep. 16 at Field 7 inside Nutrien Park. Meanwhile, the Thunderbirds will make their way back west, as they will tangle against the Calgary Dinos on Sep. 16 at 1:00 p.m. in Calgary.