On Saturday night at home, the men’s soccer team captured their sixth win of the season to put them in second place in the Pacific Conference. The 1-0 win was over the visiting Lethbridge Pronghorns. Alesandro Comita scored the lone goal, marking his first game since returning from injury.
In the first half of the game, the offence was quiet; the Pronghorns had just one shot on net while the Pack had three. Each team played tight defence, leading to very few scoring opportunities. James Rainbird had the WolfPack’s best chance in the 12th minute; the Pronghorns’ Brady McLarty stopped his shot. The ‘Pack’s netminder only saw one shot in the 25th minute.
After the half, the momentum of the offences switched. Each team was fighting for the go-ahead goal in the 0-0 game. The Pronghorns had nine shots in the second half, but the most crucial save came at the 50th minute mark, when Toran Rutherford shut down a potential goal to keep the game scoreless. From then on, Comita and Amir Ghasemi continued to create scoring opportunities, but weren’t able to capitalize on them.
A superb 74th-minute effort saw Kaelin Nguyen beat two Pronghorns inside the 18-yard box before being dragged down by McLarty, awarding the WolfPack a kick in the box. Comita stepped up for the shot and hammered the ball past the keeper for his second goal of the season. Lethbridge tried their best to get back into the game in the remaining time, with eight corner kicks and eight shots. Yet, time and again, Rutherford was there to clear the danger with a decisive punch, supported by a WolfPack backline that refused to be beaten.
With the win, Rutherford, on his second consecutive start, recorded his first shutout of the season. The ‘Pack also moves into sole possession of second place in the Pacific Division, with the win putting them just behind the UBC Thunderbirds, whom they face off against next week. This is the first time since 2022, when the Men’s team won the USPORT national championship, that they have won six of their first nine games.
Comita saw his first taste of action since September 11, missing three games after going down with an injury in the Pack’s game against UVIC. “It’s a great feeling, obviously, to be back with the guys and I just love the feeling of being back here with them at Hillside again. It’s great to score a goal with the team and so many great fans around; it’s an awesome feeling.” Comita said in a WolfPack press release on returning to the field after injury.
Head coach John Antulov said the result reflected the team’s growth, particularly its ability to battle through difficult games that may have slipped away in previous seasons. “Grind is the perfect word. It was a tough battle both ways, a real defensive battle for both sides. In the past couple of years we might not have been able to get something out of that, but it’s nice to see the guys grind and battle and get a result.”
The WolfPack will play two games at home next weekend, when they take on the UBC Thunderbirds on Friday, Oct. 9 and the UNBC Timberwolves on Saturday Oct. 10. Both games get underway at 7:30 p.m.