Returning home to Abbotsford proved to be the recipe for victory for the men’s and women’s University of the Fraser Valley Cascades soccer teams.
Chilliwack’s Exhibition Field was a temporary home field for the teams on Friday (Sept. 22), and the women’s six-game unbeaten streak came to a halt with a 3-0 less to the Saskatchewan Huskies.
The Huskies got on the board in the 24th minute and made it 2-0 just before the first half ended. Saskatchewan added a goal in the 48th minute and the Cascades failed to generate much offence with just one shot on goal.
“We have had such a good run on the road, and it just didn’t translate into this game,” stated women’s head coach Ari Adams. I think this is really the first time we have been down by a couple goals and it’s definitely a learning curve.”
The club then made their long awaited debut at Abbotsford’s Rotary Stadium and a clutch goal by Madison Telmer in stoppage time sealed a 3-2 win over the Regina Cougars on Sunday (Sept. 24).
Telmer was set up for a header by Halle McCambley to break the 2-2 tie and get the Cascades back on the winning track. UFV trailed 1-0 and 2-1 in the game, with all offence occurring in the second half. Kiana Langston tied the game at one in the 58th minute and Telmer, with her first of two goals, tied the game at two in the 75th minute.
“We just really showed up in the second half,” stated defender Alanna Sydenham. “We had a good chat at half time and came in buzzing. When coming off a goal we just kept going up from there, so it worked in our favour especially at the end.”
The women’s record now stands at 5-2-2 and they are tied for third in the Pacific Division.
The women next host the TRU Wolfpack at Rotary Stadium on Friday (Sept. 29) at 7 p.m. and then the UBCO Heat on Sunday (Oct. 1).
The men also fell in Chillwack on Friday, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Lethbridge Pronghorns.
UFV’s Jeevan Dhaliwal opened the scoring in the 28th minute, but Lethbridge added two in the second half to earn the win.
The men also made their debut at Rotary Stadium on Sunday, picking up a 4-3 win in a wild game over the MacEwan Griffins on Sunday.
The Cascades fell behind just six minutes into the game but Kian Proctor tied it up in the 19th minute. Dhaliwal put the Cascades up in the 24th minute and UFV made it 3-1 with a goal from Carson Muter in the 40th minute.
However, that two-goal cushion evaporated early in the second half, with MacEwan getting goals in the 42nd and 55th minutes. The score remained at 3-3 until Roland Mansell won the game for UFV in the 88th minute.
“It feels good. The last few games have been tough for us – but I noticed today everyone collectively went out and played together,” stated Muter.”Last year we were 1-4-1 to start the season and went over to Saskatchewan and won 5-3. That really kicked our season around. We went undefeated for the next six or so and got into a playoff spot, so that’s what we are looking to do this season.”
The men’s record is now 2-6 this season and are in sixth place in the Pacific Division.
They next travel to Kamloops to take on the TRU Wolfpack on Friday and then head to Kelowna to play the UBCO Heat on Sunday.
