VICTORIA, British Columbia – The Trinity Western Spartans and Victoria Vikes battled in an evenly played contest, which saw the Vikes score with three minutes remaining in regulation to tie the Spartans 1-1 Friday night at Centennial Field in Victoria, B.C. The draw moves the Spartans to 3-0-2, while the Vikes move to 2-0-1.

Spartan third-year keeper Yeshua Silwamba (Maple Ridge, B.C.), Vikes keeper Callum Weir each made five saves in the draw.

AS IT HAPPENED
After a number of quality opportunities throughout the match by both teams, including a disallowed goal by each team late in the first half the Spartans finally broke the scoreboard late in the match.

Third-year midfielder Thomas Powell (Coquitlam, B.C.) broke the scoreless battle when he took a pass from third-year defender Luca Alberti (Burnaby, B.C.), dribbled into the top area outside the box and slotted a ball into the lower right corner of the Victoria net to put TWU up 1-0 in the 77^th minute.

The Spartans looked like they were going to be leaving Victoria with three points, but the Vikes Matthew Pearse turned spoiler with an unassisted goal, converting on a misplayed ball by the Spartans, in the 88^th minute to tie the match at 1-1.

QUOTABLE
TWU Head Coach Mike Shearon
"Great atmosphere tonight here at Thunderfest. I thought our boys were up for the challenge tonight. I thought we were a little hard done by having a goal called back. Tommy had an unreal strike to put us up 1-0, and another great shot that hit the bar after they tied it up. But soccer is soccer and unfortunately, we left with a tie."
 
"UVIC played well and it was a good soccer game tonight. In Canada West, it is a tough night every night and every team is a good team. Sometimes you are going to come out on top and sometimes it's just not going to go your way."
 
"Tonight was one of those nights that I thought we were going to get out with a victory and they managed to tie it up. The good news is that we go again tomorrow against the number one team in the country and we have a whole lot of motivation tomorrow. Two nights in a row playing with a lot of motivation, playing in front of four thousand people, and then playing against the number one team in the country, there is no excuse for this team to not be ready to go, so we are looking forward to tomorrow night's game."
 
NOTABLE

• The Vikes outshot the Spartans 11-10 in total shots with each team having six shots on target.
• TWU had a significant edge in corner kicks at 8-3.
• Victoria had 11 fouls to TWU's eight. The Vikes also had two yellow cards.
• The Spartans are currently 21-23-5 lifetime against the Vikes
• TWU and Victoria split the series last year. TWU lost 3-0 in Victoria then defeated the Vikes 3-1 at home.

 
UP NEXT
The Spartans will now travel to Vancouver to take on the UBC Thunderbirds. Match time at Thunderbird stadium is set for 7 p.m. Saturday, September 9, 2023. The match 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.
 
About Trinity Western University
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning, holds three Canada Research Chairs, and wins national championships in U SPORTS. More importantly, lives are changed at TWU through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education. With a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree-completion programs, TWU equips leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.  
 
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