Canada West Men's Soccer Preview
UNBC Timberwolves @ TWU Spartans
Friday, September 1, 2023 at 715 PM
Saturday, September 2, 2023 at 715 PM
UNBC Timberwolves 2022 Record (8-5-3)
3rd in Pacific Division Standings (5th in CW)
34 Goals For (2nd in CW)
20 Goals Against (6th in CW)
Returning Goals Leader: Michael Henman: 19 Goals
Returning Assists Leader: Julian Daduica: 3 Assists
Returning Points Leader: Michael Henman: 21 Points
Returning Saves Leader: Daniel Zadravec: 69 Saves
Player to Watch: Daniel Zadravec, G
A 2022 Canada West Second Team All-Star, Zadravec enters his final season as the man between the pipes for the Timberwolves. Big and athletic, the Victoria product is coming off a tremendous League1 BC season, where he led the Victoria Highlanders to a first-place finish. Playing behind a number of freshmen in the UNBC backfield, Zadravec will need to be vocal and poised against a strong Trinity Western offensive attack.
Trinity Western Spartans 2022 Record (6-8-2)
5th in Pacific Division Standings (9th in CW)
23 Goals For (4th in CW)
25 Goals Against (8th in CW)
Returning Goals Leader: Thomas Powell: 4 Goals
Returning Assists Leader: Thomas Powell: 4 Assists
Returning Points Leader: Thomas Powell: 8 Points
Returning Saves Leader: Alexander Cordeiro: 64 Saves
Player to Watch: Christian Rossi, F
The 2021 Canada West and U SPORTS Rookie of the Year, Christian Rossi was hampered by injuries throughout the 2022 campaign. The third-year from Surrey is healthy again, and will look to being his high-end skill to the Spartans attack. TWU Coach Mike Shearon has assembled a talented group of forwards and wings, and the addition of Rossi provides a dynamic element that the young Timberwolves defenders will need to be aware of.
Quotes:
UNBC's Gregor Smith
On lessons learned opening weekend…
"It was definitely a wake-up call. It was getting thrown in the deep end and being told to go swim. It highlighted our weaknesses but now we know what to train and what to work on this week, so hopefully it will be better against Trinity."
On growth within UNBC's young lineup…
"From game one to game two, we possessed the ball a lot better. We worked the ball up the field and it was just a couple errors that bit us. But a big takeaway was the outstanding goalkeeping by Dan (Zadravec). He really stood on his head for us."
On the matchup with the Spartans…
"Their coach Mike Shearon is always crafty. He is always trying to do different stuff to get in Steve's head and give us different ways to defend and throw different looks at us. It's always a challenge, but it's one we are up to. They're good friends, Steve and Mike, and they always try to outwit each other off the field, and that shows up on the field when we are trying to do different stuff against one another."
On the importance of results…
"I feel like last year, we had a pretty poor weekend and then bounced back in the second weekend against Victoria. Hopefully we can do the same against Trinity this weekend and really gain confidence for the rest of the year. Playing in Langley on their huge field really suits us. We have pacy rookies and pacy veterans, and we hope to exploit the spaces that are naturally given to us because the field is so big."
