T-wolves set for key matches with Heat
To get themselves into the playoff picture, the UNBC Timberwolves have some climbing to do. They’d like to start the ascension this weekend when they host the UBC Okanagan Heat in a Canada West men’s soccer doubleheader.
The Timberwolves and Heat will square off Saturday and Sunday at 2:15 p.m. at North Cariboo Fields. Heading into the contests, the T-wolves (2-7-1) are in last place in the seven-team Pacific Division and the Heat are third (3-3-2).
UNBC, however, is only three points out of the fourth and final playoff spot. And, at this most important time in their schedule, their four remaining games after this weekend are against clubs that currently have sub-.500 records – the sixth-place University of Victoria Vikes (3-5-0) and the fourth-place University of the Fraser Valley Cascades (3-4-1).
“The next few weekends are big, big weekends for us,” said Timberwolves head coach Steve Simonson. “As we’ve always said, the guys are setting some outcome goals for themselves. Obviously everyone would like to make the post-season and we’re hoping that we’ve left ourselves, with the points that we have picked up, close enough that we can get there. The good news for us is the teams that we play over the next three weekends, they’re all teams that we’re in the immediate hunt with so at least, to a degree, we control our destiny but we know it’s not going to be easy. They’re all Aidan Way of the UNBC Timberwolves tries to get the ball past a sliding tackle from Braeden Hidalgo-Mazzei of the University of Winnipeg Wesmen on Sept. 18 at the Rotary Soccer Fields. The T-wolves are facing off against the UBC Okanagan Heat this weekend. very good teams in our division.”
Simonson anticipates tough tests from UBCO, which has been particularly strong late in games and can throw a handful of different looks at opponents.
“You have to prepare for one or two or three things because (coach Dante Zanatta) has the ability to flip things,” Simonson said. “They’ve got a great coach there and they’ve got a little bit of everything in terms of their players so they can hit you from different areas.”
The T-wolves are coming off a 1-1 draw last Sunday in Calgary against the Mount Royal University Cougars, a squad that was ranked ninth nationally. UNBC showed some moxie in fighting back from an early 1-0 deficit and that’s a quality the players want to carry forward against the Kelowna-based Heat.
“Our guys are much more resil- ient than they were a year ago,” Simonson said. “We’ve basically had a real no-quit attitude. The games that we’ve ended up losing maybe with a higher scoreline, it’s simply because we’re chasing the game in the last 10 minutes or last 20 minutes and while we’re chasing to try and score one or two to equalize we’re giving up one or two because we’re going for it.”
The match against the Cougars was a feisty one and resulted in a one-game suspension for UNBC forward Conrad Rowlands, who will sit out Saturday’s game against the Heat due to an accumulation of yellow cards. As well, T-wolves’ defender Gordon Hall will watch Saturday’s tilt from the sidelines because of an automatic suspension.
“He was sent off in the last game, an unfortunate decision in my mind,” Simonson said. “I have a different view of the second yellow than the referee but obviously he made his decision and we live with that decision and we’re OK with it.”
Simonson also said two injured UNBC veterans – third-year midfielder Josh McAvoy (fractured foot) and third-year defender Ben Gosse (ligament tear in knee) – have been declared out for the rest of the season. Both were hurt in pre-season action against the Heat and haven’t been able to return.
“They are guys that we definitely have missed on the season and it has affected us a little bit but we’ve had other guys step up,” Simonson said.
The UNBC women’s soccer team continues its season tonight in Abbotsford when it takes on the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades (5:30 p.m. start). The last-place Timberwolves (0-6-0) will be looking for their first win of the season against the third-place Cascades (4-1-2).
The Timberwolves will also visit the Trinity Western University Spartans of Langley on Saturday (5 p.m.). The Spartans (5-0-2) enter the weekend as the top team in the Pacific Division.