Kamloops – Men’s Soccer: Sparkling defensive performance gives Cascades critical draw with WolfPack
Jackson Cowx kept a clean sheet for the UFV Cascades, as they battled to a hard-fought 0-0 draw with the division leading Thompson Rivers WolfPack on Saturday evening.
UFV head coach Tom Lowndes had tons of praise for his squad and their defending postgame.
“I said to the boys after the game that this was the best defensive performance that I have seen in my eight years coaching this program.”
“To go to a difficult place like that against an in-form opponent who’s sitting top of the league and to keep them scoreless is fantastic. I have nothing but praise for the boys and how they performed tonight.”
The Cascades had a chance to open the scoring in the 14th minute after a scramble in the box, but Manpal Brar’s falling shot attempt was unable to beat TRU goalkeeper Jackson Gardner.
Taylor Richardson found another chance for UFV in the 29th minute, but his hard shot was stopped again by a diving Gardner.
The WolfPack’s best chance came in the 45th minute when Josh Banton directed a header towards goal, but Cowx was in perfect position to make the catch.
TRU recorded 12 corner kicks and 15 shots, with four on target, compared to UFV who managed two corner kicks, five shots, and two shots on target in the match.
The draw could turn out to be crucial for the Cascades as they fight to earn a spot in the top four of the Pacific division that would grant them a berth in the Canada West playoffs. With the result UFV sees their record change to 3-4-2 on the year, which lands them in fifth place and ahead of UBC Okanagan thanks to their head-to-head record.
Meanwhile, the WolfPack keep a grip on first place in the division moving to 7-2-2 in the campaign.
UFV now heads back to the Fraser Valley next weekend for a home-and-home set with the fourth place Trinity Western Spartans that could go a long way to determining their playoff destinies.
“Two rival schools going against each other, t’s always big, but if you look at the standings, the implications have made it massive” Lowndes noted on the importance of these next two games.
“It could blow things wide open.”
The Wolfpack on the other hand will head to Kelowna for a pair of matches next weekend against UBC Okanagan.
