The men’s WolfPack soccer team has had a tough time on the pitch recently, earning a 1-1-4 record over the past two weeks.
On Sept.12, when the WolfPack stepped onto the pitch to face Lethbridge, they were ready to bring the heat to the match. Just five minutes into the game, Matheus Lucas had the first scoring chance when he fired a powerful shot on net. However, the Pronghorns’ goalie, Tegan Romaine, was able to get his body behind the ball and keep the game scoreless. The Pronghorns tried to ram their way onto the scoreboard around the 15-minute mark of the match off a corner kick by forward Bronson Schlichter. Although he managed an impressive headshot toward the net, ‘Pack netminder Luca Ortu was quick to fend off the attack, getting behind the ball to deflect it out. As the game entered halftime, the score remained empty.
Only a minute into the second half of the match, ‘Pack defender Abdel Coulibaly intercepted the ball near the midfield, where he then sent a long shot past Romanine to give TRU the lead. For the remainder of the half, Ortu made multiple saves, holding off the Pronghorns from catching their lead. It wasn’t until the extra time that Lethbridge was able to slip in a quick goal to ruin the ‘Pack’s shutout, when a corner kick from Xander McIntyre ricocheted off the head of his teammate, Kai Sakaguchi, to settle the game as a 1-1 draw. The result earned TRU its first point of the season, moving their record to 0-6-1.
On Saturday night, the WolfPack set out on a hunt for redemption as they hosted the Calgary Dinos. The first goal came courtesy of Calgary at the 8-minute mark, when Dinos forward Joey Plenzik preyed upon a ‘Pack opening with a close shot that went past netminder Toran Rutherford. Minutes later, the Dinos capitalized on their momentum, feasting on the competition with a goal from a quick attack.
While the score was 2-0, the WolfPack had a close chance to score when Coulibaly had a shot towards the upper left corner. Unphased, Dinos’ goalie Oliver Allen was able to stop the ball before it entered the net. Nearing the end of the first half, the Dinos struck again, bringing the halftime score to 3-0.
Throughout the second half, the WolfPack fought hard. Rutherford made a diving stop to shut down a large blast from Dino’s Owen Antoniuk. The WolfPack’s best opportunity to score came around the 72 minutes into the match, when rookie Ryan Prasad had a shot on net from a corner kick. His efforts, however, would prove to be in vain, as he was shut down by goaltender Allen, adding to an already impressive performance. With a single minute remaining in regulation time, the Dinos scored their last goal, increasing their lead and adding to a 4-0 shutout.
Despite the scoreline, the ‘Pack outshot Calgary 10–8 in the match, but couldn’t convert their chances. With the loss, the WolfPack’s season record dropped to 0-7-1.
The WolfPack’s first win for the season came on Sept. 20, when they defeated the MacEwan Griffins 1-0. The lone goal came from forward Ben Finley, who secured the lead for the ‘Pack just after the halftime whistle. This was also Finley’s first goal with the ‘Pack since joining this year.
However, the ‘Pack fell short in a 1-0 loss the next night to the Alberta Golden Bears.
Most recently, on September 26, TRU faced their toughest test yet against the No. 1-ranked UBC Thunderbirds. The WolfPack matched their nationally ranked opponents stride for stride but ultimately came up empty-handed in a 2–0 loss.
The WolfPack may have faced their share of setbacks, but September proved they can compete with anyone in Canada West. With their first win under their belt and confidence growing, TRU now turns its attention to October, eager to translate close battles into consistent results.