Esi Lufo
1
Winner Thompson Rivers TRU (2-0-0, 2-0-0)
0
UNBC UNBC (0-2-0, 0-2-0)
Winner
Thompson Rivers TRU
(2-0-0, 2-0-0)
1
Final
0
UNBC UNBC
(0-2-0, 0-2-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Thompson Rivers TRU 0 1 1
UNBC UNBC 0 0 0

Game Recap: Women's Soccer | | TRU WolfPack

Lufo’s leap leads ‘Pack to sweep

QUICK FIRE
  • A second half goal off the head of Esi Lufo was the difference Sunday afternoon as the Thompson Rivers WolfPack women's soccer team defeated the UNBC Timberwolves by a score of 1-0
     
DIFFERENCE MAKERS
  • Lufo's goal was the third of the weekend for the Albanian striker. Nat Seiz collected the assist, giving her two in the first two games of her WolfPack career while Floor Ursem made a pair of stops to make it back-to-back shutouts to start her time with TRU.
  • Johanna Rathke made 10 stops in the Timberwolves net.

HOW IT HAPPENED
  • The first half solved nothing as the 'Pack and Timberwolves played to a stalemate.
  • TRU's best chance to score early came in the 16 minute when a beautiful give-and-go between Kat Stewart and Lufo resulted in the latter in on goal but her shot rolled just wide.
  • Ursem's biggest stop of the game came in the 34th minute when she made a diving stop to her left to palm away a goal-bound effort from a free-kick just outside of the 18-yard box.
  • The WolfPack took control of the game in the second half and were rewarded for their efforts in the 62nd minute. Sustained TRU pressure resulted in a WolfPack corner kick that Seiz sent into the perfect spot for Lufo to jump highest and power a header into the back of the net.
  • TRU had numerous opportunities to double their lead down the stretch as they fired nine shots on goal in the frame, but Rathke came up big to make sure the final score was just 1-0.

NOTABLE
  • Lufo, who scored just two goals last season, scored three times on the opening weekend. The program record for most goals in a Canada West season is 7, set by Chantal Gammie in 2018-19.
  • TRU outshot UNBC 14-4 in the game.
  • The back-to-back clean sheets for Ursem ties the program's Canada West record for longest shutout streak.
  • This is the first time the WolfPack have started a Canada West season with two-straight wins.
 

QUOTABLE (WolfPack head coach Mark Pennington)
 
  • "We knew that UNBC would give us a response after a lopsided scoreline on Friday and credit to them they changed their structure a bit and caused us some problems."
  • "We made some changes at halftime and I thought that new energy changed the game. With a little better finishing from us I thought that win could have been a little bit more comfortable - but we will take a six-point opening weekend."
  • On Esi Lufo scoring three goals in two games. "Lufo has really bought in. She's changed herself athletically, has worked hard in the gym with our strength and conditioning coach. The game has slowed down for her and she's also changed her mentality, she's brought not just the goals but her work-rate from a pressing point of view has been great."
  • On starting the season with back-to-back shutouts. "We've got a really competitive back-four group and there have been some players not getting as many minutes as they would like but there is some real competition for places, so we are really happy with the play of the back-four regardless of who has been in there."

UP NEXT
  • The WolfPack will return to Kamloops for their first games of the season inside Hillside Stadium next weekend. TRU will play host to the defending National Champion UBC Thunderbirds at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 29 and the UVic Vikes at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 30.
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