UBC Thunderbirds (4-0-2) upped the undefeated streak to six matches on Saturday night — playing to a 0-0 draw against the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades (2-1-1) — but slid down to second place on the Canada West standings.
“[They're] a good opponent. They typically are a difficult team to play against [and] keep things relatively tight in the back,” said head coach Mike Mosher in an article by UBC Athletics. “That said, we created a couple of chances [and] just couldn't get on the end [of] one of those crosses.”
At the five-minute mark, Thunderbirds midfielder Kerman Pannu started another strong performance, twisting his way through the Cascades defence and down to the touch line. Sending the ball towards the net from deep in the six-yard box, Pannu’s shot clattered off the outside of the right post and out for a goal kick.
It wasn’t until the 22nd minute when the home side got the next big break, as striker Titouan Chopin barged his way through Fraser Valley’s back line. Chopin sent a short pass to Pannu at the top of the six for a promising attack, but the ensuing point blank shot was saved by the fast reflexes of Cascades keeper Alex Skrzeta.
In the second half, a Pannu corner was the next play to bring the crowd to life, as captain Bryan Fong got on the end of the lofted ball. His header went just over the crossbar, sparing the visitors a goal against with 40 minutes to go in the match.
An onslaught of shots in the final 10 minutes of play by the ’Birds couldn’t put them ahead and as the final whistle went, the two sides settled for a 0-0 draw.
With the tie, UBC moves to second place in the division — just one point behind Friday night’s opponent, Trinity Western. The Spartans defeated University of Victoria Vikes 2-1 in Victoria to reclaim top spot.
Up next, the T-Birds face fellow Canada West heavyweights: the University of Alberta Golden Bears. Currently, the Bears sit on top of the Prairie Division with a 5-0-0 record. Can UBC break their winning streak and keep their own undefeated streak alive? Check out the match at Wolfson Field at 7 p.m. on Friday to find out.
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