VICTORIA – The University of Victoria men's soccer team defeated the University of British Columbia, 1-0, Oct. 10 at Centennial Stadium to close its regular season home slate.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Weir keeps UBC scoreless
- Callum Weir recorded five saves in the first half to keep the Thunderbirds off the board, including early looks by UBC in the sixth and eighth minutes that he got in front of to stop.
Tugwell puts the Vikes in front
- In the one minute of added time to the first half, Matthew Pearse served the ball from the top left corner of the box, deflecting off the UBC defender's head to Fin Tugwell, who connected on the bounce via bicycle kick to send the ball over the UBC goalkeeper to the top left corner of the net for the 1-0 Vikes lead at halftime.
Vikes hold off 'Birds
- The Vikes defence held strong in the second half, and along with Weir's two saves, kept the Thunderbirds off the board in the second half to seal the 1-0 win.
FROM THE FIELD – Head coach Larry Stefanek
"It was a fantastic effort- from everyone who played, the guys on the bench, even the guys who didn't dress, it was great support and great team togetherness, which is something we talked about all week. We were ready for it, and we played well against a really good team. Very happy with that performance.
"We really wanted to finish our home schedule off strong, and not lose at home. We did that, and did one better than a draw, we won. I'm impressed with the attitude and the effort of the guys. The games only get harder from now, so we have to get ready for Saturday because they're [UBC] going to be ready for us."
WORTH NOTING
- UBC, ranked second in the U SPORTS Top 10 poll entering the match, suffered their first loss of the season to the 10th-ranked Vikes.
- The clean sheet marks Callum Weir and the Vikes' ninth of the year.
- Fin Tugwell's goal marked his first of the year. Matthew Pearse's assist marked his third of the year and ninth total point, which leads the Vikes.
- UBC held the 12-8 edge in overall shots taken on the night, including a 7-3 advantage in shots on frame.
- The Vikes move to 8-1-3 on the year with the win, while UBC now sits at 9-1-2 with the loss.
- Victoria remained unbeaten at Centennial in 2024, posting a 5-0-1 record on their home field.
UP NEXT
The Vikes and Thunderbirds battle for the top spot in the Canada West Pacific Division Saturday, Oct. 12 at 4 p.m. in Vancouver, B.C. Catch the game on
Canada West TV.
