ABBOTSFORD, British Columbia – The Trinity Western Spartans couldn't overcome a two-goal halftime deficit as they fell 4-1 to the Fraser Valley Cascades Friday afternoon at Rotary Stadium in Abbotsford, B.C. The loss drops the Spartans to 5-7-3 in Canada West play, while the Cascades improve to 8-3-4.
Fifth-year forward
Xander Roxburgh (Langley, B.C.) scored his fourth goal of the season in the 47th minute for the Spartans, with fifth-year midfielder
Jordan Low (Port Moody, B.C.) picking up the assist.
Ebi Igali scored for the Cascades on a penalty kick (18'), Kevin Mailand (24'), and Mateo Brazinha (67', 87').
TWU first-year keeper
Jakob Frank (Ladner, B.C.) made six saves in a full 90 minutes for the Spartans, while Matheus De Souza made four saves in the win for the Cascades.
UP NEXT
The Spartans will close out their regular season against the Thompson Rivers WolfPack on Saturday, October 24, at Hillside Stadium in Kamloops, B.C. Match time is set for 7:30 p.m. (PT) and can be seen live on Canada West TV.
AS IT HAPPENED
Frank was called into action early, making three saves in the opening 10 minutes, including two on Fraser Valley's Marcus D'Andrea. TWU second-year forward
Tim Pritchard (White Rock, B.C.) tested De Souza in the 15th minute, but the Cascades opened the scoring at 17:14 when Igali converted a penalty kick. Mailand doubled the lead at 23:55, scoring off an assist from Michael Beecroft to put Fraser Valley up 2-0.
The Spartans generated chances before halftime, with De Souza stopping fifth-year midfielder
Kieran Eve (Coquitlam, B.C.) in the 27th minute, third-year midfielder
Grant Verhoeven (Surrey, B.C.) in the 35th minute, and Pritchard in the 36th minute. Fraser Valley went into the break with an 11-6 advantage in total shots and a 7-4 edge in shots on goal, while TWU held a 3-2 advantage in corner kicks.
TWU pulled within a goal just 71 seconds into the second half when Roxburgh scored off Low's assist at 46:11 to make it 2-1. The Spartans were reduced to 10 players when second-year defender
Nathan Canvin (North Vancouver, B.C.) received a red card at 57:05.
The Cascades restored their two-goal lead at 66:18 when Brazinha scored off an assist from Dante Colebourne. Brazinha added his second of the match at 86:05, with Spencer Mellett providing the assist, to make it 4-1. Frank stopped another Brazinha effort in the final minute. Fraser Valley finished the second half with a 5-2 edge in total shots and a 3-1 advantage in shots on goal.
NOTABLE
- Fraser Valley outshot TWU 16-8 in total shots and 10-5 in shots on goal.
- The teams finished even with five corner kicks apiece.
- Roxburgh scored on his only shot of the match.
- Pritchard led the Spartans with three shots, including two on goal.
- Frank made five of his six saves in the opening half.
- Fraser Valley also defeated TWU 4-0 in Langley on September 4, completing a sweep of the season series.
- The Cascades extended their unbeaten run to 10 matches.
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 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, 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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