LANGLEY, B.C. – Trinity Western's men's rugby team lost 61-18 against visiting UBC in the Spartans Coastal Cup season-opener Saturday afternoon at Willoughby Community Park Stadium. 

Matthew Willemse (Pietermaritzburg, South Africa) scored 13 of the Spartans 18 points, including one try, two penalties and one conversion. Jan-Hendrik Lourens (Smoky Lake, Alta.) tallied TWU's other try. 

TWU Scoring
18" – Matthew Willemse Penalty (10-3 UBC)
24' – Matthew Willemse Penalty (13-6 UBC)
38' – Matthew Willemse Try, Matthew Willemse Conversion (26-13 UBC)
42' – Jan Lourens Try (32-18 UBC)

QUOTABLE
Andrew Evans, TWU Head Coach
"UBC came out firing and they were really good today. I think UBC did a good job keeping it simple and playing direct, but also having some good width and depth. Their players showed up today and I think some of our guys didn't show up in the way that they can. 

"We have to hold onto the ball. It comes down to decision-making and basic-handling errors and contact skills. We have to clean that up. Also, today was a tough day with injuries and in the heat. That made a difference. Sam (Tsoi) was out early with a high hit to his head and we were scrambling for subs from then on. 

"On the positive side, I think Ethan Jurgeneit (Bracebridge, Ont.) led really well. That was probably the best game of rugby I've ever seen David Wegert (Langley, B.C.) play – he was really physical. Tim Zimmer (Fort St. John, B.C.) was great. We had good impact from Ben Graci (Edmonton) Joe Goroza (Coquitlam, B.C.) and Connor Bernardin (Langley). Our scrums and lineouts looked good. It was really nice having Riku (Konrad, Surrey, B.C.) in, as he adds a lot to the lineout. After today, selection is wide open, so it's exciting to see a lot of those guys step up."

NEXT UP
TWU will host Victoria Sept. 14 at the Langley Rugby Club in TWU's second match of the Coastal Cup. Kick-off is at 2:30 p.m. Note that the game will not be streamed live. Victoria lost 28-17 to the Pacific Pride in their Coastal Cup opener. 

AS IT HAPPENED 
UBC took a 10-0 lead inside the first 15 minutes and, while the Spartans closed the gap to seven points in the 24th minute after Willemse's second penalty of the afternoon, 13-6, the Thunderbirds never relinquished the lead.

Willemse's try in the 38th minute brought TWU with 13 points, 26-13, but a quick response just before halftime gave the T-Birds a 19-point cushion, 32-13, at the break. 

Lourens brought the Spartan Faithful to their feet with a try two minutes into the second half, making it 32-18, but that was all the scoring the home side would muster on the day. UBC finished the afternoon with 29 unanswered points. 

With injuries playing a factor in the contest. Lock Sam Tsoi was forced to leave the game early with an injury and ultimately TWU had to play the final 20 minutes a man down after Keegan Marengo (Johannesburg, South Africa) left the game with an injury when the Spartans were out of substitutions.  

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 and women's and men's disc golf. 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 CIS 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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