Abdel Coulibaly
3
Winner UBC UBC (4-0-0, 4-0-0)
0
Thompson Rivers THOMPSON (0-4-0, 0-4-0)
Winner
UBC UBC
(4-0-0, 4-0-0)
3
Final
0
Thompson Rivers THOMPSON
(0-4-0, 0-4-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UBC UBC 2 1 3
Thompson Rivers THOMPSON 0 0 0

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | TRU WolfPack

Defending champion T-Birds topple ‘Pack at Hillside

QUICK FIRE
  • A four-minute span that saw the visitors strike twice doomed the Thompson Rivers WolfPack men's soccer team as they fell 3-0 to the UBC Thunderbirds Friday night.
     
DIFFERENCE MAKERS
  • Ben Finley and Lachlan Will both had a pair of shots towards night for TRU. WolfPack goalkeeper Luca Ortu made six stops on the night, several of which were spectacular.
  • Markus Rukavina was a difference maker for UBC, scoring a pair of goals in the contest. Henri Godbout added the third UBC marker with Luke Norman recording a pair of assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Playing on home turf for the first time this season, TRU took the game to UBC early.
  • The WolfPack had the better of the run of play for much of the opening frame and were nearly rewarded in the 33rd minute.
  • After a sustained period of WolfPack pressure, a ball into the box from Marcus D'Andrea was sent towards goal by Stephano Rettis-Martinez only for his effort to be blocked by a diving UBC defender, that rebound fell to Minwoo Kang who also had a crack on net only for another desperation block from a UBC player sent the ball away from harm.
  • Two goals in four minutes right at the end of the half for UBC proved to be the difference.
  • In the 39th minute Norman chipped a ball into the 18-yard box where Rukavina twisted past a TRU defender and fired a strike into the back of the net.
  • That lead was doubled right before the halftime whistle when a ball that bounced around the WolfPack 18-yard box took an unlucky deflection right to Rukavina who made no mistake for his second of the night.
  • TRU stabilized in the second half and did their best to cut into the lead but Godbout's insurance marker late was the only goal of the half.
 
QUOTABLE (WolfPack head coach John Antulov)
  • "For the first 40 minutes we were really good. After they scored the first goal it was our guy's reaction after that goal – they just needed to stay composed and get through to halftime and we didn't do that."
  • "We played well again in the second half, but we need to be able to put together 90 minutes, that's the issue right now. It's more a mentality than anything – they are young guys but they need to start playing mature."
  • "The guys fought hard, we knew it was going to be a battle against the defending national champions but we proved that we can play."
  • "If you look at our three losses this season I'm not seeing poor play, I'm seeing quality but we just need to put it together for the complete game."

UP NEXT
  • The WolfPack will stay in Kamloops and get set to take on the UVic Vikes tomorrow, Saturday Aug, 30, with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. at Hillside Stadium. UBC meanwhile will remain on the road as they travel to Kelowna to face the UBC Okanagan Heat.
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