LANGLEY, British Columbia – UBC's Eric Kim scored the lone goal of the match in the 62^nd minute as the Thunderbirds defeated the Trinity Western Spartans 1-0 in Canada West men's soccer action Friday night at Chase Office Field in Langley, B.C. The loss drops the Spartans to 6-3-5, while the win improves the No. 1 T-Birds to 12-1-2.

Fourth-year keeper Jordan Marwood (Langley, B.C.) made two saves in the Spartans' loss, while UBC's Bennett McKay made five saves to earn the shutout win.

Statistically, the Spartans had the better of the play, but they were unable to convert on their opportunities, while the Thunderbirds made the most of their one quality chance.

AS IT HAPPENED
The lone goal of the match came on a counterattack by the Thunderbirds. UBC's Thomas Pena took the ball up the left side of the park and sent a low pass across the Spartans penalty area. Kim took the pass in the centre of the box and put the ball past the TWU defender and into the left side of the Spartans' net to put UBC up 1-0.
 
Over the final five minutes and extra time, the Spartans had four corner kicks and five shots, including two by TWU second-year forward Keishean Francois (White Rock, B.C.), but they were unable to tie the match up as the Thunderbirds held on for the win.
 
QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach Mike Shearon
"I thought we had a few good chances in the first half, but we didn't make the most of those. And we eliminated most of their chances throughout a lot of the match. Unfortunately, they took one of their moments and we didn't take the ones that we had and that is what wins games."
 
"I'm happy for the most part with the performance, but as we get closer to playoffs those moments are what really matter. So we need to continue to grow in that area. We will regroup for tomorrow and we will celebrate the guys that are graduating and see if we can pull off a victory."
 
NOTABLE

• The Spartans outshot the Thunderbirds 12-5 in total shots and 5-3 in shots on goal.
• TWU also had a 10-6 edge in corner kicks.
• The Spartans are 11-27-14 lifetime against the Thunderbirds.
• In their last meeting on September 9, the Spartans tied the T-birds 1-1 in Vancouver.
• The Thunderbirds, Vikes, and Spartans are locked into their final play-off positions heading into the final two matches of the season.
• TWU will play Alberta or Mount Royal in the opening round of the playoffs at UBC the weekend of October 27.

UP NEXT
The Spartans will finish off the regular season tomorrow night against the Victoria Vikes. Match time at Chase Office Field in Langley, B.C. is set for 7:15 p.m. (PT) and can be seen live on Canada West TV.

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 14 U SPORTS team championships and 34 Canada West team championships.
 
-TW-