LANGLEY, British Columbia – Second-year forwards
Tim Pritchard (White Rock, B.C.) and
Marc Huizenga (Vancouver, B.C.) scored the Trinity Western goals to lead the Spartans to a 2-1 victory over the Saskatchewan Huskies Saturday night at Chase Office Field in Langley, B.C. The win improves the Spartans to 4-6-2, while the loss drops the Huskies to 4-5-0.
Pritchard opened the scoring in the eighth minute off a pass from Huizenga. Huizenga added the game-winning goal in the 73rd minute, with fifth-year midfielder
Jordan Low (Port Moody, B.C.) earning the assist.
Fifth-year Saskatchewan midfielder Ethan Cabral (East St. Paul, Man.) scored the Huskies' lone goal in the 82nd minute.
TWU first-year goalkeeper
Jakob Frank (Delta, B.C.) made one save to earn the win. Saskatchewan fifth-year goalkeeper Jaron Slopinski made four saves in the loss.
QUOTABLE
Mike Shearon, TWU Head Coach
"Tonight, there wasn't much to dislike about how we played. For the most part, we were smart with the ball, moved it well, and created quite a few chances in the first half. I would have liked to see us score a couple more goals in that opening half. We hit the post a couple of times, and those moments can change games."
"We had to wait until the second half to get the second goal, but it was a great goal from Marc, who had another fantastic game. I think it comes down to our belief and our ability to see games out, and we're getting closer to that. It would have been nice to earn a clean sheet, but overall, I'm happy with the work, the fight and the performance."
UP NEXT
The Spartans will have next weekend off before returning to Chase Office Field for their final two regular-season home matches. TWU will host the UBC Okanagan Heat on Friday, October 16 and the Thompson Rivers WolfPack on Saturday, October 17. Both matches begin at 7:15 p.m. (PT) and can be seen live on Canada West TV.
AS IT HAPPENED
The Spartans tested Slopinski early, with the Saskatchewan goalkeeper stopping Pritchard's shot in the fifth minute. Pritchard gave TWU the lead in the 8th minute on a beautiful sliding effort inside the Saskatchewan six. Huizenga set up the second-year forward with a low shot from the left side near the end line, where Pritchard got a touch to find the back of the net for his first Canada West goal of the season. Pritchard nearly doubled the Spartans' advantage in the 17th minute, but his attempt struck the post. Less than a minute later, Low forced Slopinski to make another save. TWU continued to control the attacking play throughout the first half. Fourth-year midfielder
Marcel Bona (Vancouver, B.C.) tested Slopinski in the final seconds, but the Saskatchewan goalkeeper made the save to keep the Spartans' lead at 1-0.The Spartans finished the opening 45 minutes with an 8-3 advantage in total shots, a 3-0 edge in shots on goal and all four of the half's corner kicks.
TWU added the eventual winning goal in the 73rd minute. Low found Huizenga, who scored his second goal in as many nights, curling a shot from the left side inside the far post to give the Spartans a 2-0 lead. Third-year midfielder
Grant Verhoeven (Surrey, B.C.) nearly added a third goal in the 80th minute, but Slopinski made the save. Saskatchewan cut TWU's lead in half in the 82nd minute when Cabral scored his fourth goal of the season on a free kick from the top of the TWU penalty area that snuck inside the far left post to make it 2-1.
The Huskies pushed for the equalizer over the final nine minutes. Frank stopped Aydin Wiebe in the 89th minute before Simon Weber sent Saskatchewan's final attempt wide as the Spartans held on for the victory.
NOTABLE
- TWU outshot Saskatchewan 14-8 overall and 6-2 in shots on goal.
- The Spartans finished with a 7-1 advantage in corner kicks.
- Pritchard's goal was his first in Canada West conference play.
- Huizenga finished with one goal and one assist for the first three-point match of his Canada West career.
- Huizenga has two goals and one assist over TWU's last two matches.
- Huizenga's goal was his second game-winning goal of the season.
- TWU has earned seven of a possible nine points over its last three home matches.
- The Spartans are now 21-8-4 all-time against Saskatchewan, including 10-3-2 at home and 18-8-4 in Canada West conference play.
- Saturday's victory was TWU's first over Saskatchewan since a 2-0 win in Saskatoon on September 21, 2019.
- Saskatchewan won the previous meeting 2-1 in Saskatoon on September 20, 2025.
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.
-TW-
