KAMLOOPS, British Columbia – Fourth-year forward
Luciana Andrews (Coquitlam, B.C.) and fourth-year forward
Mansha Sidhu (Surrey, B.C.) each scored, but the Trinity Western Spartans fell 3-2 to the Thompson Rivers WolfPack Saturday evening at Hillside Stadium in Kamloops, B.C. The loss leaves the Spartans with an 8-4-2 record and a third-place finish in the Pacific Division. Thompson Rivers finishes second in the Pacific Division with an 8-2-4 record.
Andrews scored in the 42nd minute on an assist from second-year defender
Clara Chudley (Victoria, B.C.), while Sidhu added a goal in the 63rd minute, with fourth-year forward
Lianna Holz (Richmond, B.C.) getting the assist. Makenna Ford led Thompson Rivers with a goal and two assists, while Esi Lufo and Berea Woldeyes also scored for the WolfPack.
TWU fifth-year keeper
Yasmine Pahal (Surrey, B.C.) made five saves in a full 90 minutes. Thompson Rivers keeper Floor Ursem finished with four saves in the win.
QUOTABLE
Graham Roxburgh, TWU Head Coach
"Obviously disappointed, but despite losing, I was impressed by so much of the fight we showed when down two, twice. We can be better in corporate defending, and we paid the price for poor mistakes."
UP NEXT
The Spartans will open the Canada West playoffs on the road next week against the Mount Royal Cougars, who are the Prairie Division's second-place team. The match will be in Calgary, B.C., at Mount Royal, with the date and kickoff time to be confirmed. The game can be seen live on Canada West TV.
AS IT HAPPENED
Thompson Rivers opened the scoring at 14:27 when Ford scored off an assist from Lufo. The pair combined again just 89 seconds later, with Lufo finishing off Ford's assist at 15:56 to give the WolfPack a 2-0 lead.
Andrews brought TWU within a goal at 41:59, scoring off Chudley's assist to make it 2-1 heading into halftime. Pahal made four saves in the opening half, while the Spartans held a 9-0 advantage in corner kicks.
The WolfPack restored their two-goal lead at 53:54 when Woldeyes scored off Ford's second assist of the match. Sidhu answered at 62:58, with Holz drawing the assist, to cut the deficit to 3-2.
TWU kept pushing for the equalizer, with Sidhu sending an effort wide at 83:55, another attempt blocked at 85:11, and Ursem stopping her shot at 86:03. The Spartans earned two corner kicks in the closing minutes but could not find a third goal.
NOTABLE
- The teams finished with 14 shots apiece, with Thompson Rivers holding an 8-6 edge in shots on goal.
- TWU finished with a 16-5 advantage in corner kicks.
- Andrews and Sidhu led the Spartans with five shots each, including two shots on goal apiece.
- The loss ends TWU's three-match winning streak. The Spartans had outscored their opponents 7-0 over those three victories.
- TWU defeated Thompson Rivers 1-0 at Chase Office Field on October 17. The WolfPack won two of the three regular season meetings, including a 1-0 win in Langley on October 3.
- The Spartans are now 15-4-1 all-time against Thompson Rivers, including a 13-4-1 record in Canada West regular season play. This season TWU was 1-2-0 against TRU.
- The Spartans opened the weekend with a 1-0 win at Fraser Valley Friday afternoon.
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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