VANCOUVER, B.C. – It was an electric finish at the UBC Thunderbird Stadium on Saturday night as Trinity Western drew UBC 3-3. Three goals were scored in the final four minutes of play as Brandon Torresan (North Vancouver, B.C.) levelled the game in the dying seconds of the match.
 
The Spartans (3-3-6) hit the ground running against UBC (3-1-6) as the first half was filled with valid scoring opportunities for both teams.
 
UBC was first to strike as a 22^nd minute goal snuck by Spartans goalkeeper Sebastian Colyn (Langley, B.C.), who saw a significant amount of action throughout the first half.

Though the Spartans were down early, the team showed no signs of discouragement. Marcus Tjernagel (Maple Ridge, B.C.) pinged the ball off the crossbar off a long-ranged attempt in the 35^th minute. Tjernagel's wonderfully taken shot was closely followed by a golden opportunity by Brandon Torresan who pounced on the ball during a scramble in front of the net. The first-year midfielder was unable to pound the ball home, though the opportunity couldn't have been much better given the nature of Saturday's match.
 
Tjernagel redeemed himself ten minutes later, scoring a crucial goal for the Spartans just before the first half's end to reset the game at a tie.
 
The beginning of the second half saw the Spartans slow down, giving way for UBC to score their second of the night in the 59^th minute. With the game, and possibly the fate of TWU's playoff hopes on the line, the Spartans started to make things interesting by peppering UBC with shots and dangerous opportunities. Still, the Spartans couldn't break the one-goal deficit they found themselves in.
 
It was in the 90^th minute when the game went wild, starting with a Thomas Powell (Coquitlam, B.C.) volley hitting a UBC defender, then redirecting itself into the net. After the ball seemed to have eyes favouring the Spartans, UBC wasted no time in doing their best to shift the momentum in their favour. Catching Colyn off guard, UBC forward Bradley Richardson scored his second of the game with a beautifully chipped shot over the Spartans keeper who was caught out of net.
 
After Richardson's goal came approximately two minutes into stoppage time, the Spartans rallied back to finish the game at a 3-3 draw. Christian Rossi (Surrey, B.C.) whipped in a wicked ball to Jackson Thomson (Langley, B.C.) who caught the ball well with his head. Thomson's header hit the crossbar, coming down to Brandon Torresan who had nothing to shoot at but the gaping UBC net.

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Torresan's goal brought the game to a tie as the following kick-off cued the referee's whistle, ending Saturday's electric finish at the UBC Thunderbird Stadium.

NOTABLE

• With the parity shown within Canada West's western conference in the 2021 season, the Spartans will be relying on some external factors in order to secure a berth to the Canada West playoffs. The Spartans, who played their final regular season match on Saturday, currently sit in the division's third spot with 15 points. Trailing behind are Thompson Rivers (14 points, currently sitting in fourth and final playoff spot), Fraser Valley (10 points), and UBC Okanagan (10 points), Thompson Rivers and UBC Okanagan hold two games in-hand over the Spartans, while UFV holds three in-hand. Stay posted on Canada West's final weekend of men's soccer here: https://canadawest.org/calendar.aspx?path=msoc.

QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach Mike Shearon
"Well, that was crazy. We got a point, so I'm super proud of the boys to get something out of the game. I thought UBC did a good job of controlling the game, which was part of the gameplan in some ways. We would've liked to not give up some of those goals that were conceded throughout the game.
 
"In the end, we asked the boys to put everything they learned into this match. Couldn't be prouder of the boys in the way they finished the season tonight. Every guy on this roster has given everything they have to put everything on the table and be the best versions of themselves. We'll see what happens with the other results."

About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 12 U SPORTS team championships and 29 Canada West team championships.

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