VICTORIA – The No. 6-ranked University of Victoria Vikes men's soccer team hosted the Canada West Pacific Division's third-place UBC Okanagan Heat at Centennial Stadium, Oct. 3, tying the game 1-1 late to earn a point after a second-half that featured a flurry of opportunities for the home side.
 
UBC Okanagan's Enzo Paal opened scoring in the match in the 57^th minute of play, scoring what looked to be the game winner before Victoria's Cam Stokes tallied the lone goal for the Vikes in injury time.
 
The opening half of the game featured little in the way of chances for either side, with Victoria's Stokes' speed evident but unable to generate a goal. A pair of close calls for UB COkanagan in the attacking zone were cleared from danger by the Vikes back line as neither side seemed willing to concede a goal.
 
Always a threat on offence, fourth-year midfielder Cam Hundal received a diagonal cross from teammate Craig Gorman late in the opening half, but his strike on net was swallowed up by Heat 'keeper Christopher Cuthill. An ensuing corner for Victoria failed to produce a goal, as both sides headed into halftime in a 0-0 deadlock.
 
The conservative match broke open in the 57^th minute, as Paal finished off a beautiful cross from teammate Jordan Lieb, who sent a low cross to Paal that was then struck past Pawlowski for the 1-0 lead.
 
Victoria answered with a pair of headers from Michael Baart and Craig Taylor, with Baart's header just going high over the bar, while Taylor's attempt was met by Cuthill in goal.
 
Victoria continued to apply pressure in the attacking third of the field, as the Heat seemed content to sit back, sending just a single striker forward as time began to become an enemy for the home side.
 
Victoria looked poised to level the score after a corner late in the match generated a scramble in the box, but several attempts to fire the ball through a wall of defenders failed to materialize.
 
The Vikes finally broke through in the final moments of the game, with Stokes playing the hero as he leapt from behind his mark to put a header into the back of the net and salvage a point for Victoria in the process.
 
Both teams are in action again tomorrow, as the Heat travel to Vancouver to face the Pacific Division leading UBC Thunderbirds at Thunderbird Stadium at 7:00 p.m., while the Vikes play host to Thompson Rivers Wolfpack at Centennial Stadium at 7:15 p.m. Both games can be viewed online at www.canadawest.tv.

SCORING SUMMARY
UBCO: 0 - 1: 1
UVIC  : 0 - 1: 1

GOAL SCORERS:
UBCO: Enzo Paal (57')
UVIC: Cam Stokes (92')