LANGLEY, British Columbia – In a one-goal match, the Trinity Western Spartans dropped a 1-0 decision to the visiting Victoria Vikes Saturday night at Chase Office Field in Langley, B.C. The loss drops the Spartans to 3-6-2, while the win improves the No. 8 Vikes to 10-1-2.
 
Scoring for the Vikes was Takin Keshavarz.
 
TWU fifth-year keeper Yeshua Silwamba (Maple Ridge, B.C.) made five saves in the Spartans' loss, while Victoria's Matthew McConnach made one save in the Vikes win.
 
UP NEXT
TWU will now face the Fraser Valley Cascades in a home-and-home series on Friday, October 10, and Saturday, October 11. Friday's game in Abbotsford has an 8 p.m. (PT) start, with Saturday's game at Chase Office Field in Langley kicking off at 7:15 p.m. (PT). Both games can be seen live on Canada West TV.
 
QUOTABLE
Mike Shearon, TWU Head Coach
"Tonight's game was an up-and-down first half. We had a few good moments in the first half. I also thought we were against it a bit. I think coming out in the second half, I thought we did a lot better. We put one off the bar. We had another goal called back. That was questionable handball, but the ref called it, so that's the way it is. And then, one of their main chances, which they had in the second half, they scored. So, it was frustrating not to come away with at least a point from this one, but I think we took significant steps forward from yesterday and put together a good performance. ?And so, we need to continue maturing and growing into the team we aspire to be, and hopefully, next weekend, we can achieve a few results."
 
AS IT HAPPENED
It looked like the Spartans were about to take the lead in the 55th minute, but fifth-year defender Adam Hajdecki's (Surrey, B.C.) header from the centre of the box went hard off the Victoria crossbar, and the Spartans were unable to convert the rebound to keep the game scoreless.
 
The lone goal of the match came in the 73^rd minute when Victoria's Matthew Pearse flicked a header onto Keshavaz after a Victoria free kick. Keshavaz one-timed the pass past TWU's Silwamba to put Victoria up 1-0.
 
In the 85th minute, TWU looked like they had tied the match, but fifth-year forward Charles Nana's (Calgary, Alta.) goal was called back for a handball.
 
NOTABLE

• The Vikes outshot the Spartans 10-6 in total shots, and 7-1 in shots on goal.
• The Spartans had a 3-1 edge in corner kicks.
• Last night, the Spartans lost to the UBC Thunderbirds 1-0 at home, while Victoria defeated Fraser Valley 2-1 on the road in Abbotsford, B.C.
• The Spartans are currently 21-28-5 lifetime against the Victoria Vikes. Earlier this year, TWU lost 3-1 to Victoria in Victoria, B.C. The Spartans' last conference win over the Vikes was 3-1 on October 14, 2022, at Chase Office Field.

 
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, hockey and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as in the NAIA in track and field and cross country and 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 33 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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