By Katie Maryschuk, Trinity Western University
LANGLEY, B.C. – The Trinity Western Spartans came back late in the second half to win 3-2 over the visiting Thompson Rivers WolfPack on Friday evening at Chase Office Field.
It was second-half stoppage time that saw Austin Kasian (Calgary) score the game-winning goal, finding a loose ball in the box off a Leighton Johnson (Calgary) free kick and knocking it home.
The winning goal capped a come-from-behind victory in which TWU (4-1-4) rallied from a 2-1 second half deficit to earn a critical win over TRU (2-5-2).
After TRU's Jan Pirretas Glasmacher gave the visitors the lead in the 63rd minute, the Spartans Cody Fransen (Lynden, Wash.) equalized just over a minute later.
TWU's Johnson also scored for the Spartans, while Koffi Nyavor tallied for TRU.
Spartan goalie Sebastian Colyn (Langley) finished the game with five saves and WolfPack goalie Jackson Gardner had three.
Johnson put the first goal on the scoreboard in the fifth minute after beating the WolfPack defender on the left side and sending it past Gardner to the top right corner.
Fransen had a chance to double TWU's lead in the 40th minute with a top left corner shot, but was blocked by an oncoming defender and the ball went high.
WolfPack midfielder Nyavor bookended the first half with his fourth goal of the season, assisted by Thomas Lantmeeters, sending the teams to the locker rooms knotted 1-1.
The first half saw the WolfPack lead with nine shots while the Spartans had five. They finished the night with 15 and 14 respectively.
TWU made it 2-1 in the 64th minute from Pirretas Glasmacher scored second goal of the season, sending the WolfPack into delirium.
However, Fransen struck back for TWU as he connected on a corner kick with a header, tying the game. Josh Hardy (Burnaby, B.C.) earned his second assist of the night, bringing his season total to three.
That set up the dramatic game-winner from Kasian. Johnson sent the ball into the box off a long free kick and Vito Poletto (Calgary) got a piece of it before Kasian had the finishing touch.
QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach Mike Shearon
"Everything is dramatic these days. I think I've put five or 10 years on my life in the past few weeks. In all seriousness, credit to the guys for not giving up, credit to the guys to try and find a way. An unlikely hero in Austin Kasian again, the guy wants to win. I'm super proud of the effort the boys put out tonight.
"Tonight was a night that we could have easily thrown in the towel. Thompson Rivers was a good team and we very easily have said 'this was it; and just let it go. But we didn't and we kept battling.
"With UBCO tomorrow, it's the same stuff. We talked today about working our process, continuing to believe in us and continuing to work hard. It's going to be angry group I think from their result tonight (a 5-1 loss to Fraser Valley), so we've got to come out and keep the results going."
NOTABLE
• Captain Joel Waterman was back in the lineup after missing TWU's last game after receiving a red card (based on two yellos) in the Spartans Sept. 16 game in Lethbridge.
• The last two meetings between the WolfPack and the Spartans, which were both last season, resulted in ties
• The last time the Spartans lost to the WolfPack was on Oct. 15, 2016 in Kamloops, B.C. (1-0).
• Johnson's goal was his first of the season.
• TWU and TRU were supposed to meet earlier in the year but the game was postponed due to smoky conditions in Kamloops. The game is now set for Oct. 17.
UP NEXT
The Spartans will play UBC Okanagan Saturday at Chase Office Field, with kickoff at 7:15 p.m. (PT).
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