VICTORIA – The University of Victoria men's soccer team downed the University of British Columbia Okanagan, 4-1, Aug. 25 at Centennial Stadium to end opening weekend with a 2-0 record.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Achadinha puts the Vikes up early
Pearse records second-straight brace
- On a throw-in from Achandinha, Matthew Pearse got the ball and created some space for himself at the top centre of the box, firing his shot to the back of the net for the 2-0 Vikes lead in the 39th minute.
- Opening the second-half scoring in the 67th minute, Pearse gave Victoria a 3-0 lead. Meeting a pass from Evan Larson at the top of the six-yard box, Pearse sent it to the back right corner of the net for his second goal of the day.
UBCO gets one back
- Victoria conceded their first goal of the season in the 74th minute, bringing the score to 3-1, still in favour of the Vikes.
Hilton adds one in extra time
- During UBCO's attempt to clear away the ball, Matteo Hilton fought the Heat defenders to gain possession of the ball and drive into the box, taking advantage of a one-on-one situation with the UBCO goalkeeper to score the final goal of the day in extra time (90+2') and finalize the Vikes' win, 4-1.
FROM THE PITCH – Head coach Larry Stefanek
"It was a great game. I thought we started well, and our finishing was awesome. To score four goals was big. We knew UBCO was dangerous on the transition and the counterattack, so we wanted to move them side to side and find the gaps. They're a good team and we knew what we were up against. We had to prevent them from getting us on the transition, which we did really well.
"Unfortunately we didn't get the clean sheet, but we definitely had a lot of possession and made it work to our advantage, which was part of our game plan. Overall, happy with the game, happy with the result."
WORTH NOTING
- Matthew Pearse posted a two-goal effort for the second-straight game. Adding one assist, he finished the day with three points.
- Matteo Hilton's goal marked his first in a Vikes uniform.
- UVic led UBCO in overall shots, 18-12, as well as shots on goal, 12-3.
- Callum Weir recorded two saves in the win, bringing his season total up to four.
- Victoria has now won the last four straight meetings against UBCO.
- After opening weekend, the Vikes hold a 2-0-0 record, while the Heat fall to 0-2-0 after the first two games of the year.
UP NEXT
The Vikes head to Prince George, B.C. for two matches against the University of Northern British Columbia, Aug. 30-31.
