KAMLOOPS – In a battle between two previously undefeated squads it was the Thompson Rivers WolfPack men's soccer team that prevailed, as they bested the UVic Vikes by a score of 1-0 on Sept. 24.
 
Making his first Canada West appearance for TRU Patrick Izett scored the lone goal in the game, Marco Favaro added his second assist of the year and Jackson Gardner recorded the shutout for TRU.
 
"I thought our guys played really well, especially in the first half where we kept good possession and played the ball around nicely," said WolfPack head coach John Antulov. "We didn't get much in the final third except for that goal that Patty finished really well. The second half was a scrap and a battle and I was really happy with our defence and team shape, we minimized their opportunities and just fought for everything."
 
Izett opened the scoring with a thing of beauty late in the first half. A perfectly weighted pass from Favaro sent Izett into a one-on-one with a defender. Rather than trying to beat his man the third-year midfielder placed a shot that wrong-footed the UVic goalie and rolled perfectly into the back of the net.
 
"That's what he brings, he can make something out of nothing and you can't find players like that," said Antulov on the North Delta local. "To have him on our side and be able to do that is huge for us."
 
The Vikes tried to find an equalizer in the second half but Gardner was always equal to the task. A diving effort in the 80th minute of play helped the product of Chilliwack record the seventh conference shutout of his Canada West career.
 
"Jackson has really improved the commanding part of his game," said Anutlov. "He makes the big save when we need it, but his organization, communication has improved immensely over the last couple of years and that gives a lot of confidence to the guys playing in front of him."
 
The win was an important one in the early stages of a tight BC division playoff battle. With the victory the WolfPack continue their strongest start to a conference season in program history with a 2-3-0 record while also handing the Vikes their first loss of the season.
 
These teams will do battle again tomorrow night in Victoria with a scheduled start time of 7:15 p.m.