KAMLOOPS, British Columbia – Trinity Western fifth year forward Cody Fransen (Lynden, WA) had the hat-trick to lead the Spartans to a 3-0 victory over the Thompson Rivers WolfPack Saturday afternoon at Hillside Stadium in Kamloops, B.C.
The win improves the Spartans to 5-4-0 and drops the WolfPack to 2-3-4.
TWU third year keeper Sebastian Colyn (Langley, B.C.) made three saves to earn the shutout victory, while Jackson Gardner  (2^nd year, Chilliwack, BC) made three saves over 78 minutes in the loss, splitting duties with Oliver Jumeau, who played 13 minutes.
TWU dominated the play in the opening 45 minutes outshooting the WolfPack 11-2.
The Spartans got on the board in the 26^th minute. Off a free kick, the ball was headed by WolfPack defender Callum Etches (1^st year, Romily, Stockport, England) off the back of Trinity Western's Soren Disabatino (1^st year, midfield, Langley, BC).  The ball wound up on the feet of Franson who went low on TRU's Gardner.
In the 32^nd minute, Trinity Western went up by two. Off a corner kick, Spartan captain Caleb Johnson (4^th year, defender Strathmore, AB) shot the ball towards the box where there was a scramble. Franson was untouched and poked in the loose ball for his third of the season.
The Spartans would end the half leading 2-0.
TWU secured the win in the 73^rd minute, when Fransen turned in the middle of the box and found the lower right corner to give TWU the comfortable 3-0 lead. The WolfPack evened up the play in the second half outshooting the Spartans 7-5, but were unable to get a ball past the Spartans Colyn.
QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach Mike Shearon
"I was really proud of the boys. They defended hard, which is the first thing that we needed to make sure that we did, and then we took our chances. We didn't have a ton of chances like we normally do, but we did a great job of taking the ones that we did have."
 
"Coming here is a hard place to play for us. Traditionally it has not been great. TRU is always hard to play against and it is a very satisfying victory for us today. TRU played hard and we came out and had a clean sheet which is really important for us."
 
Comments on Cody Fransen:
"Cody was fantastic today. He did everything that we asked him to do. Was really good in transition and was really good in holding the ball up for us. And obviously had the three goals today. You can't ask for more."

NOTABLE
• Fransen is now tied for sixth in CW in goals with seven on the season.
• With the win TWU is now 8-4-1 lifetime against the TRU.
• The Spartans outshot the WolfPack 16-9, with a 7-3 edge in shots on goal
• TRU had the edge in corner kicks 6-2.
• TWU now sits in fourth spot in the Pacific Division, while TRU sits in seventh spot
 
UP NEXT
The Spartans will head to Kelowna on Sunday to face the UBC Okanagan Heat (6-3-2), while the WolfPack will host the UFV Cascades.
 
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.
 
-TW-