ABBOTSFORD, British Columbia – For the second straight game the University of the Fraser Valley men's soccer team, netting a late game-winner to defeat the Trinity Western Spartans 3-2 in Canada West men's soccer action.
 
The Spartans had rallied from a 2-0 deficit to knot the score at MRC Sports Complex Sunday afternoon, but Zanatta came through in the 75th minute, hammering home a shot off a scramble following Atle Koellmel's sideline throw-in.
 
It was déjà vu of the best sort for the Cascades – just two nights earlier, Trevor Zanatta's goal in the 76th minute had lifted UFV to victory over TWU in Langley by an identical 3-2 score.
 
The sophomore from Coquitlam, B.C. is an unlikely hero in terms of goal-scoring – as a holding midfielder, he's primarily concerned with preventing goals rather than scoring them. This weekend's goals were just the second and third of his UFV career.
 
The Cascades' playoff hopes had been hanging by a thread coming into the home-and-home series with the Trinity Western (7-6-1), but in the wake of a stunning six-point weekend against their local rivals to improve to 5-4-4, they're now in fourth place in the Pacific Division and control their playoff destiny moving forward.
 
The Cascades got off to a dream start, as Manpal Brar opened the scoring in the first minute of play. Gurmaan Jhaj played the ball ahead to Brar, who beat a Spartans defender and got in on a breakaway, slotting a shot into the bottom right corner behind TWU third year keeper Sebastian Colyn (Langley, B.C.).
 
Jhaj made it 2-0 in the 36th minute. Jehmrode Kahlon set up the goal in spectacular fashion, waltzing around a Spartans defender and feeding Jhaj for the point-blank finish.
 
TWU gained new life with a timely goal just before the half. Fourth year midfielder Jacob Low (Port Moody, B.C.) played third year midfielder Gordon Grice (Burnaby, B.C.) through sprinting down the right wing, and he tucked a shot inside the near post.
 
In the 61st minute, Low drew a foul in the box on UFV's Nawaf Binsaleh, and fourth year defender Caleb Johnson (Strathmore, Alta.) stepped to the spot and beat Cascades keeper Ethan Duggan with a shot into the bottom left corner.
 
Zanatta sent the home crowd into hysterics in the 75th, finishing off a frantic sequence. Koellmel unleashed one of his patented long throws, and Jhaj headed the ball off the crossbar. The ball fell inches from the goal line, and Johnson bicycle-kicked it to momentary safety. But it fell to Zanatta, who smashed it home on a half-volley from 12 yards out.
 
QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach Mike Shearon
"One team wanted to win, one team didn't, bottom line is, Fraser Valley wanted to come out and beat the tar out of us, and that's what happened."
 
"They came out, played hard, and we didn't. We didn't match their intensity. There were some times when it was nice and we had a bunch of chances, but in the end, they took their chances, we didn't take ours. They blocked our shots, we didn't block theirs. And that's the way it goes."
 
NOTABLE
• With two games remaining in the season the Spartans currently sit tied for second in CW with Victoria with 22 points. UBC Okanagan also has 22 points, but they have concluded CW play.
• The top four teams in the Pacific Division will qualify for the post season. UBC has clinched top spot in the division, but there are five teams with in five points of each other going into the final weekend of play. Only UNBC has been eliminated from qualifying for post season play
• The Spartans 16-13-2 lifetime against the Cascades.
• TWU won both games last season.
• The Cascades had a 19-14 edge in total shots and a 9-8 edge in shots on goal.
• TWU had seven corner kicks to UFV's four kicks.

UP NEXT
The Spartans and Cascades are back in action next Friday and Saturday with home games against Victoria and UBC. Friday UFV faces UVIC Vikes, while the Spartans host the UBC Thunderbirds. All matches can be seen live on CanadaWest.TV.

About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 11 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes in the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) in men's hockey and as an independent team in men's rugby. The men's and women's hockey programs will begin playing in Canada West and U SPORTS in 2020-21. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 12 U SPORTS team championships and 27 Canada West team championships and two BCIHL championships.
 
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