The University of the Fraser Valley women’s soccer team finished off a strong September in style.
The team picked up a 3-0 victory over the Thompson Rivers WolfPack in Kamloops on Sunday, and also blanked the UBC Okanagan Heat 2-0 on Saturday to continue their hot play this month.
Monika Levarsky, Sunayna Samra and Simi Lehal supplied the goals for UFV on Sunday, while Danica Kump registered two assists en route to game MVP honours.
Keeper Emily Harold, in her Canada West debut, earned the shutout against the WolfPack, with Kayla Klim finishing with a clean sheet against the Heat.
UFV goal scorers on Saturday were Gurneet Dhaliwal and Amanda Carruthers.
The Cascades improved to 4-1-2 with the wins, which gives them sole possession of third place in the Pacific Division.
“We played much better than yesterday – it was a much more positive performance, and we created a lot of chances,” UFV head coach Rob Giesbrecht said of Sunday’s effort. “Some inefficiency around the goal cost us in the first half, but we scored some good goals.”
Levarsky’s goal on Sunday was her first of the 2016 campaign, after scoring seven in 2015. While she may have been snakebit prior to Sunday, she’s still been a constant threat offensively, recording five assists so far this season.
“She’s such an important attacking presence for us, and we were confident the goals were going to come,” Giesbrecht said of Levarsky. “She gets to good areas, and she’s had a lot of assists this year.”
Giesbrecht praised the play of Klim in Saturday’s win.
“She came up big when needed,” he said. “I liked the way she distributed the ball, and she was sure-handed. I was proud of her today, because she gave a captain’s performance. She allowed us to be successful because of her dominance in goal.”
The Cascades return home for games against the UNBC Timberwolves on Friday and the Alberta Pandas on Saturday at MRC Sports Complex. Both games kick off at 5:30 p.m.
For the men, it was the opposite situation as the club was shutout 2-0 by the Winnipeg Wesman on Friday and then were blanked by the Saskatchewan Huskies 1-0 on Sunday.
Men’s team head coach Tom Lowndes said he didn’t like his team’s performance in the Manitoba capital on Saturday.
“We just didn’t show up and if you don’t show up in every Canada West game, you’re going to get in trouble,” he said. “The simple fact is, we weren’t good enough tonight. Full credit to them – they were hungry.”
Lowndes said he liked his club’s efforts on Sunday, but couldn’t convert their chances.
“It was funny, because in the first half, we played the best football we’ve played all year,” UFV head coach Tom Lowndes said. “We caused them problems. But we conceded a set piece goal which is never good, and we go in at half 1-0 down.
“We came out in the second half with the same fight and pressed for large potions of the game, but just weren’t able to put one in. We’re not getting that bounce, that bit of luck that some teams are getting right now. We’ve just got to keep working hard, keep believing and keep fighting.”
The men’s team record falls to 3-4-1, which leaves them fourth in the Pacific Division. They return home to face the UBC Thunderbirds on Friday and the Victoria Vikes on Saturday. Both games kick off at 8 p.m. at MRC Sports Complex.
For more on the teams, visit ufvcascades.ca.