LANGLEY, British Columbia – The Trinity Western Spartans built a two-goal second-half lead behind goals from second-year forward
Marc Huizenga (Vancouver, B.C.) and first-year defender
Romeo Strauss (White Rock, B.C.), but the Lethbridge Pronghorns rallied with two unanswered goals to earn a 2-2 draw Friday night at Chase Office Field in Langley, B.C.
The draw moves the Spartans to 3-6-2, while the Pronghorns move to 4-2-2.
Huizenga opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 55th minute before Strauss doubled TWU's lead in the 63rd minute. Lethbridge responded with goals from Bronson Schlichter in the 64th minute and Robert Woodroffe-Brown in the 86th minute.
TWU first-year goalkeeper
Jakob Frank (Delta, B.C.) made two saves for the Spartans, while Lethbridge goalkeeper Tegan Romaine stopped four shots for the Pronghorns.
QUOTABLE
Mike Shearon, TWU Head Coach
"I thought, especially in the first half, we did a lot of the things tactically that we worked on all week to prepare. A lot of guys had really good games. We were a bit unlucky at the end of the first half not to be up 1-0, with Josiah hitting the bar after a good movement. In the end, it comes down to goals and having them. Marc did a good job of earning a penalty kick and then scoring it. It was a fantastic follow-up goal from Romeo, who had a great game today at both ends of the field."
"Unfortunately, we gave away a two-goal lead, and the rest of the way we can't do that. We have to figure out a way to lock these games down and finish with wins. We're getting to that time of year where we need more wins. We'll have to regroup for tomorrow, come hard against a good Saskatchewan team and find a way to will a victory."
UP NEXT
The Spartans will return to Chase Office Field on Saturday, October 3, to take on the Saskatchewan Huskies. Match time is set for 7:15 p.m. (PT) and can be seen live on Canada West TV.
AS IT HAPPENED
Lethbridge generated the first quality opportunity of the match in the 11th minute when Woodroffe-Brown put a shot on target, but Frank was in position to make the save. Frank made his second stop of the half in the 36th minute, turning aside Kyle Boell. The Spartans nearly opened the scoring in the final minute of the half. Romaine stopped Strauss in the 45th minute before second-year midfielder
Josiah Hogewoning's (Langley, B.C.) follow-up attempt struck the crossbar. The opening 45 minutes ended scoreless, with Lethbridge holding a 4-3 edge in total shots and a 2-1 advantage in shots on goal.
TWU came out quickly in the second half. Romaine stopped second-year forward
Tim Pritchard (White Rock, B.C.) in the 48th minute before third-year defender
Timothy Oyeleye's (Igbogila, Nigeria) header went wide moments later. The Spartans broke through after Huizenga was fouled inside the Lethbridge penalty area. Huizenga stepped to the spot and converted the penalty kick in the 55th minute, scoring his first goal of the season and giving TWU a 1-0 lead. Woodroffe-Brown nearly answered for Lethbridge in the 60th minute, but his attempt struck the crossbar. Strauss doubled the Spartans' lead in the 63rd minute, finishing a follow-up opportunity for his second goal of the season. The two-goal advantage lasted only 40 seconds, as Schlichter converted a pass from Ben Gingras to pull the Pronghorns within one in the 64th minute. Second-year defender
Jackson Van den Brink (Langley, B.C.) nearly restored TWU's two-goal lead in the 76th minute, but Romaine made the save. Lethbridge found the equalizer in the 86th minute when Woodroffe-Brown scored his sixth goal of the season to make it 2-2.The Spartans pushed for a late winner. Fifth-year midfielder
Jordan Low (Port Moody, B.C.) sent a shot wide in the 87th minute, while Romaine stopped second-year defender
Gabriel Moore (Ottawa, Ont.) in the final seconds to preserve the draw.
NOTABLE
- The teams finished even with 11 total shots apiece, while TWU held a 6-4 advantage in shots on goal.
- The Spartans finished with a 3-0 edge in corner kicks.
- TWU is now 7-0-1 in eight recorded meetings with Lethbridge and has outscored the Pronghorns 25-4.
- The draw ended TWU's seven-match winning streak against Lethbridge, but the Spartans remain undefeated in the series.
- Friday marked the first meeting between the programs since TWU earned a 4-1 victory in Lethbridge on September 17, 2022.
- Huizenga's penalty kick was his first goal of the season.
- Strauss scored his second goal of the season, moving him into a tie for the team lead with Xander Roxburgh (Langley, B.C.) and Van den Brink.
- Huizenga's goal ended Romaine's personal shutout streak at 422 minutes and one second. It was the first goal the Lethbridge goalkeeper had conceded this season.
- Frank now has 36 saves through 11 matches this season.
- Woodroffe-Brown's equalizer was his sixth goal in five appearances this season.
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 and field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes independently in men's rugby and women's and men's disc golf. Since joining U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 15 U SPORTS team championships and 35 Canada West team championships.
About Trinity Western University
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning and holds three Canada Research Chairs. Through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education, TWU offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate and adult degree-completion programs that equip leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.
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