Game Information
Date: Friday, August 26 & Saturday, August 27
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Hillside Stadium
Watch Online:
canadawest.tv
3 Things
1: To celebrate the start of the build-up to the
U SPORTS Men's Soccer Championship presented by RBC, every fan that wears a soccer jersey to Friday's night game will enter for free. In addition to that, members of KYSA can wear either their KYSA jersey or a team tracksuit to enter for free at both Friday and Saturday's games.
2: Hillside Stadium will be rocking all season long with food and beverage options available at every game. For this weekend Fryer's Express Gourmet Grilled Sandwiches & More will be serving up the food while Iron Road Brewing will be running the beverage garden.
3: The WolfPack are excited to celebrate a pair of Kamloops youth teams that won provincial championships at this weekend's games.
KAMLOOPS – Every U SPORTS men's soccer season starts with 48 teams fighting for just eight spots in what is one of the most tightly contested competitions in Canadian amateur sport. For the Thompson Rivers WolfPack, they enter season knowing they have already punched their ticket to the 2022 U SPORTS Men's Soccer Championship presented by RBC as host of the national tournament taking place inside Hillside Stadium from November 10-13.
That doesn't mean the 'Pack will be taking things easy throughout the season however, as their journey to win the ultimate prize on home soil begins this weekend.
Kicking off the season with games against the UBC Thunderbirds on Friday night and the UVic VIkes on Saturday, TRU will begin their run towards the national championship by doing battle with a pair of perennial contenders.
Getting things underway at 7 p.m. on Friday, the 'Pack will welcome a UBC squad that was recently picked to finish first in the conference in the annual Coaches Poll and captured the Canada West title in 2021. TRU and UBC have plenty of recent history. The teams fought to a pair of 1-1 ties last season and in their past five contests the WolfPack hold a record of 1-1-3 against the Thunderbirds in regular season action.
It will be the reigning regular season champion Vikes that the 'Pack square off with the very next night also at 7 p.m. The WolfPack hold a record of 7-5-2 all time against the Vikes and dating back to 2017 have gone 5-1-2 against UVic. TRU went to Victoria last season and picked up a win and a tie against a Vikes team that got hot down the stretch to claim the Canada West title.
TRU will return mostly the same roster as last season with just
James Fraser and
Callum Etches graduating from the program. With talent up and down
John Antulov's roster, the WolfPack have been building for years to have this opportunity to take a run at the national title on home soil.
TRU WolfPack Season Preview:
2021 CW regular season record: 4-3-5, t-3rd West Division
2021 post-season record: 0-1, lost in quarter-final
Head Coach: John Antulov, 9th season / Career CW reg. season record 33-40-25
Last CW championship / total CW championships: N/A
Last U SPORTS championship / total U SPORTS championships: N/A
2021 CW regular season ranks:
Offence: 10 goals, 11th
Defence: 10 goals against, 3rd
2021 CW regular season leaders (returning):
Goals: 2 –
Dylan Hooper, Forward &
Mikkel Rosenlund, Defence
Assists: 3 –
Marco Favaro, Midfield
Points: 3 –
Marco Favaro, Midfield &
Ryan Lewis, Midfield &
Mikkel Rosenlund, Defence
Wins: 4 –
Jackson Gardner, Goalie
Shutouts: 3 –
Jackson Gardner, Goalie
Key additions (name / position / eligibility / hometown / last team):
Alesandro Comita / Midfield / 1st year / Kamloops, BC / Whitecaps MLS U-19
Elijah Dos Santos / Defence / 1st year / Coquitlam, BC / Whitecaps Academy
Ante Grgic / Midfield / 1st year / Surrey, BC / Dinamo Zagreb U-18
Kyle Hansen / Forward / 1st year / Burnaby, BC / Columbus FC
Key losses (name / position / hometown / years with program):
James Fraser / Forward / Penticton, BC / 4
Callum Etches / Defender / Stockport, ENG / 3
Key performer (pictured above):
Jan Pirretas Glasmacher
Defence
5th Year
Barcelona, ESP
2021 Stats: 12 GP / 12 GS / 5 Shots
One of the most decorated student-athletes in TRU WolfPack history,
Jan Pirretas Glasmacher will lead the way for the 'Pack once again in what will be his fifth and final season with the program. A product of Barcelona, Pirretas is the spine at the centre of a WolfPack defence that allowed just 10 goals in 12 Canada West regular season games last year.
Team - Points (First-place votes)
- UBC Thunderbirds – 143 (11)
- Mount Royal Cougars – 127 (1)
- Alberta Golden Bears – 105
- Trinity Western Spartans – 103
- Thompson Rivers WolfPack– 101
- Calgary Dinos – 92
- Victoria Vikes – 73 (1)
- Saskatchewan Huskies – 71
- Fraser Valley Cascades – 64
- Northern British Columbia Timberwolves – 54
- UBCO Heat – 36
- MacEwan Griffins – 33
- Lethbridge Pronghorns – 12
NOTE: Coaches ranked all opponents 1-15. First-place votes worth 15 points, second-place worth 14 points etc.
