The UNBC Timberwolves and Thompson Rivers University WolfPack are still in the Canada West men’s soccer playoff race.
They can thank the Victoria Vikes for that. The Vikes did both teams a big favour Friday when they went to Abbotsford and defeated the Fraser Valley Cascades 1-0.
That makes the next two games at Masich Place Stadium especially meaningful with the Cascades needing a win over the UBC Thunderbirds Saturday to clinch the fourth and final Pacific Division playoff spot. Fraser Valley has a 5-4-4 record and a .487 winning percentage and that percentage is the determining factor in Canada West men’s soccer.
Right now, Thompson Rivers and UNBC are on the outside looking in as far as the postseason is concerned. TRU (4-5-5, .405 winning percentage) currently ranks sixth in the seven-team Pacific Division, with UNBC (4-6-3, .385 winning percentage) in seventh place, and only the top four make playoffs. UBC-Okanagan (6-6-4, .458 percentage) is in fifth place and has already been eliminated, having finished its regular season schedule.
If UBC beats Fraser Valley tonight and either the T-wolves or WolfPack win their two head-to-head games in Prince George Saturday and Sunday afternoon (both 1 p.m. starts), the team that wins twice at Masich will finish fourth and move on to the playoffs. A split of the weekend series would not be sufficient.
The UNBC women didn’t need to win Friday to wrap up their third consecutive Canada West playoff berth. Despite their loss to the Vikes in Victoria, the T-wolves will finish in the top six in the Pacific and will advance to the playoffs.
The T-wolves (3-6-4) dropped to sixth place with 13 points, while Fraser Valley (3-5-5) leapfrogged the T-wolves into fifth with a 4-2 win Friday over Thompson Rivers (2-7-4) which eliminated the WolfPack.
The T-wolves lost 1-0 Friday to the fourth-place Vikes (7-3-3) in Victoria. Kiara Kilbey scored the only goal, 71:15 in. The T-wolves had one of their best scoring chances 26 seconds later when Paige Payne nailed the crossbar. Victoria (6-3-3) outshot the T-wolves 7-3.
UNBC will wrap up the regular season Saturday evening in Vancouver against the third-place UBC Thunderbirds. The T-birds (7-2-4) played the top-ranked Calgary Dinos (10-0-3) to a scoreless draw Friday in Vancouver.
Before Sunday's game at Masich, the T-wolves will have a ceremony to honour graduating midfielder Jonathan Bothelo, the only player who won't be eligible to return in 2020. Bothelo, a product of the Prince George youth soccer system, has been on the practice roster for his four seasons at UNBC.
The T-wolves men have a chance to accomplish a first in their eight-year history as a Canada West member. A couple big crowds at Masich this weekend could them over the top as the team with the highest attendance this season.
