MSOC: UBC wins fourth straight CW title
November 7, 2021
CALGARY - The UBC Thunderbirds won their fourth consecutive Canada West Men's Soccer title with a 1-0 win over the Victoria Vikes Sunday at Mount Royal's Stadium Field.
The championship pads to the Thunderbirds' conference best total of 21 all-time, and marks the second time UBC has won four straight banners.
The two teams, who met for the third time this season on Sunday, had an aggressive start to the game, with both sides racing for every 50/50 ball sent down the field.
The game winning goal came in the 27th minute from UBC's Sebastian Dzikowski. Victoria's throw-in caused a commotion as both teams scrambled to gain possession before Thunderbirds' forward Nicholas Momotani rushed to save the ball from crossing the end line.
Momotani sent a pass across and up toward the center of the box where Dzikowski was waiting. Dzikowski was able to chip the ball up, catching the back leg of a Vikes defenceman, redirecting the shot past Harjot Nijjar and into the back of the net.
"We're not happy we didn't win here but still I thought we played okay and both teams go [to Nationals] so we still have a shot," Bruce Wilson, VIC head coach and CW Coach of the Year said.
The Vikes finished first in the regular season in the West Division and are feeling confident as they head towards U SPORTS Nationals.
"[Victoria] went at us pretty good, but we weathered it and got the goal and we're absolutely thrilled for our group," Mike Mosher, UBC head coach said. "We're going to enjoy a bit of a break in the next 10 days before we head to Nationals, but we know that there's no easy games at this time of year and we'll be ready for that."
The two teams went back and forth throughout the game, sharing possession and having consistent strong attacks going both ways.
Goalkeeper Ben McKay was an unbreakable fortress on the goal line for UBC, stopping all nine shots sent his way while Nijjar was able to block four of the five sent by the Thunderbirds.
"Congrats to UBC, they came out and battled for 90 minutes," Evan Libke, VIC player of the game said. "The focus for us now is turning to nationals in a week and a half here and we're aiming for the top. We think we're one of the best teams in the country and I think we can prove it on any given day."
Libke has been a pillar for the Vikes all season, being a powerhouse on the field and a leader at all times. His presence was able to assist in numerous opportunities for the team in today's match up against the Thunderbirds.
Dzikowski, a first-year player for UBC, finished the season with six shots on goal and his lone goal in today's match. He is expected to have a notable career in his Thunderbirds uniform.
"I'm from Calgary, so scoring the winning goal in my hometown - I couldn't have asked for a better day or a better result," Dzikowski, UBC's player of the game said. "Now, it's almost like a new season and we're back to square one. We'll go back home and get prepared for nationals."
Both teams will now begin their preparations for U SPORTS Nationals hosted by Carleton University in Ottawa November 18 - 21.
The championship pads to the Thunderbirds' conference best total of 21 all-time, and marks the second time UBC has won four straight banners.
The two teams, who met for the third time this season on Sunday, had an aggressive start to the game, with both sides racing for every 50/50 ball sent down the field.
The game winning goal came in the 27th minute from UBC's Sebastian Dzikowski. Victoria's throw-in caused a commotion as both teams scrambled to gain possession before Thunderbirds' forward Nicholas Momotani rushed to save the ball from crossing the end line.
Momotani sent a pass across and up toward the center of the box where Dzikowski was waiting. Dzikowski was able to chip the ball up, catching the back leg of a Vikes defenceman, redirecting the shot past Harjot Nijjar and into the back of the net.
"We're not happy we didn't win here but still I thought we played okay and both teams go [to Nationals] so we still have a shot," Bruce Wilson, VIC head coach and CW Coach of the Year said.
The Vikes finished first in the regular season in the West Division and are feeling confident as they head towards U SPORTS Nationals.
"[Victoria] went at us pretty good, but we weathered it and got the goal and we're absolutely thrilled for our group," Mike Mosher, UBC head coach said. "We're going to enjoy a bit of a break in the next 10 days before we head to Nationals, but we know that there's no easy games at this time of year and we'll be ready for that."
The two teams went back and forth throughout the game, sharing possession and having consistent strong attacks going both ways.
Goalkeeper Ben McKay was an unbreakable fortress on the goal line for UBC, stopping all nine shots sent his way while Nijjar was able to block four of the five sent by the Thunderbirds.
"Congrats to UBC, they came out and battled for 90 minutes," Evan Libke, VIC player of the game said. "The focus for us now is turning to nationals in a week and a half here and we're aiming for the top. We think we're one of the best teams in the country and I think we can prove it on any given day."
Libke has been a pillar for the Vikes all season, being a powerhouse on the field and a leader at all times. His presence was able to assist in numerous opportunities for the team in today's match up against the Thunderbirds.
Dzikowski, a first-year player for UBC, finished the season with six shots on goal and his lone goal in today's match. He is expected to have a notable career in his Thunderbirds uniform.
"I'm from Calgary, so scoring the winning goal in my hometown - I couldn't have asked for a better day or a better result," Dzikowski, UBC's player of the game said. "Now, it's almost like a new season and we're back to square one. We'll go back home and get prepared for nationals."
Both teams will now begin their preparations for U SPORTS Nationals hosted by Carleton University in Ottawa November 18 - 21.