Ben Finley
1
Winner Thompson Rivers TRU (1-7-1, 1-7-1)
0
MacEwan GMU (0-6-2, 0-6-2)
Winner
Thompson Rivers TRU
(1-7-1, 1-7-1)
1
Final
0
MacEwan GMU
(0-6-2, 0-6-2)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Thompson Rivers TRU 0 1 1
MacEwan GMU 0 0 0

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | TRU WolfPack

WolfPack defeat Griffins to secure first victory of 2025

QUICK FIRE
  • It was a result that had been coming for some time as a resilient Thompson Rivers WolfPack men's soccer team were finally rewarded for their efforts with a 1-0 victory over the MacEwan Griffins Saturday.
     
DIFFERENCE MAKERS
  • Ben Finley scored the lone goal of the contest for the 'Pack with Abdel Coulibaly earning the assist. Toran Rutherford picked up the first win and shutout of his TRU career in net.
  • The entire TRU team was sound defensively with special acknowledgment due to the backline who held MacEwan to no shots on goal in the contest.

HOW IT HAPPENED
  • After the 'Pack and Griffins battled each other to a scoreless first half, TRU found the all-important opening goal not long after the halftime whistle.
  • Matheus Lucas sprung a long ball down the wing that Coulibaly outpaced a pair of Griffins defenders for before playing a perfectly weighted ball across the 18-yard box where Finley was waiting to tap it in.
  • TRU was able to pack it down defensively from there, controlling much of the ball for the remainder of the game and keeping any Griffins attack well away from the goal.
  • While MacEwan pressed for the equalizer TRU refused to be denied the victory as they held on for the whole 90 minutes to secure the win.

NOTABLE
  • The goal was Finley's first as a member of the WolfPack.
  • Coulibaly's assist gives him a team-high four points on the season.
  • The WolfPack move to a record of 1-7-1 with the win.
 
QUOTABLE (WolfPack head coach John Antulov)
  • "It was a good all-around team effort today. The guys started off a bit slow for the first 15 minutes but then we got our feet going. Defensively we were really solid as a group and that just gave us confidence to start getting opportunities as the game wore on."
  • ON THE WAY THE GUYS HAVE CONTINUED TO BATTLE DESPITE FRUSTRATING RESULTS "Especially when you are a young team like we are a lot of guys could get their heads down and kind of give up, but the group has stuck together and been really resilient. We've dealt with a lot of injuries that could have demoralized the group but other guys have stepped in and kept fighting so it's been really good to see."

UP NEXT
  • The WolfPack are back in action tomorrow when they take on the Alberta Golden Bears in Edmonton in a game that gets underway at 1:15 p.m. PT.
Print Friendly Version