Liam Freathy
2
Winner Thompson Rivers TRU (4-0-0, 4-0-0)
0
UBCO UBCO (0-4-0, 0-4-0)
Winner
Thompson Rivers TRU
(4-0-0, 4-0-0)
2
Final
0
UBCO UBCO
(0-4-0, 0-4-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Thompson Rivers TRU 2 0 2
UBCO UBCO 0 0 0

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | TRU WolfPack

WolfPack dominant from beginning to end, set new program-best mark with fourth-straight victory to start the season

QUICK FIRE
  • Make it four wins in their first four games for a Thompson Rivers WolfPack men's soccer team that controlled play throughout the entire 90 minutes in a 2-0 victory over the UBC Okanagan Heat Sunday.
     
DIFFERENCE MAKERS
  • Once again it was Kaelin Nguyen finding the back of the net for the WolfPack as the product of Wellington, NZ scored his third goal of the year. Rory Clements added the insurance marker with the first goal of his WolfPack career. Lachlan Will and Alesandro Comita supplied the assists for TRU while Matteo Lamon made one single stop for his third shutout of the season.
  • Goalkeeper Ronan Woodroffe was a bright spot for the Heat with seven saves on the night.
     
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • The WolfPack set the tone for the match early, opening the scoring just five minutes into the game. Will beat a defender on the wing before curling a perfectly-placed cross into the Heat penalty area where Nguyen dove off his feet and thundered the ball into the net with a powerful header.
  • The game appeared to be heading for a rout when Clements doubled the TRU lead just ten minutes later. This time it was Alesandro Comita who beat a defender and dribbled all the way to the UBCO endline before chipping a cross to the onrushing Clements and the former Heat player made no mistake to score a header in his return to Kelowna.
  • Only the heroics of Woodroffe stopped the 'Pack from heading into the break up by four or more as he came up with huge stops on a couple dangerous Comita efforts.
  • Neither team was able to score in the second half though the WolfPack kept up the pressure with two goals called back due to offside and Woodroffe making a couple more fantastic stops.

NOTABLE
  • TRU's win gives them the first 4-0 start to a Canada West season in program history.
  • With three goals in four games Kaelin Nguyen is tied for second in the conference scoring race.
  • Matteo Lamon's three shutouts this season are the second-most in the conference.
  • With the win TRU also takes a 1-0 edge over UBCO in the annual Presidents' Cup battle. The Presidents' Cup pits the two Interior rivals against one another in their head-to-head games in soccer, basketball and volleyball with both a women's and men's Presidents' Cup being awarded.

QUOTABLE (WolfPack head coach John Antulov)
  • "We had a really good overall effort. The first half we were really firing on all cylinders, we got two quick ones and their goalkeeper made three or four really good saves so we had some real quality chances to increase that lead."
  • "A 2-0 lead is kind of scary. In the second half the first 10-15 minutes I think fatigue from a long road trip started to set in but at the same time our backline, centre midfielders and goalkeeper were just calm and relaxed. They kept everything at bay until we worked our way back into the match."
  • "It was a battle for the final 20-25 minutes and our guys met the challenge, we had some good opportunities in the second half and it was just an overall good, solid game."
  • ON THE 4-0 START. "It's just been how we have been able to gel together as a group really quickly. It's a group that really seems to care for each other, want to work for each other and battle and fight. Everyone seems to get along really well and the chemistry seems to be the best since the 2022 team that won the national championship, so that has been the biggest part."
     
UP NEXT
  • Another road trip is ahead for the WolfPack. They will first take on the UVic Vikes in Victoria on Sept. 11 before facing the UFV Cascades in Abbotsford on Sept. 12.
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