KAMLOOPS, B.C. – The UBC Okanagan Heat women's soccer team played spoiler on graduating seniors night for the Thompson Rivers WolfPack as the visitors got two late goals from
Megan Sun to record a 3-2 victory at Hillside Stadium.
In a wildly-entertaining game between the two Interior B.C. rivals, it was Sun, a native of Langley, B.C., who played hero for the Heat with her first two goals of the season.
Trailing 2-1 in the 79
th minute, Sun scored her first of the match after some great work down the wing from Sydney Kolodizej. After beating her defender wide, the Kelowna, B.C., native sent a gorgeous ball into the box for Sun who simply tapped it into the open net to even the match at two.
Then, with the game deep into stoppage time, Sun chased a long ball down the field and was taken down by a WolfPack defender in the box. The third-year management major calmly stepped up to the spot and beat TRU keeper Cassandra De Amaral of Vancouver, to her left to give UBCO the victory.
Despite the hosts controlling play for much of the opening half, outshooting the Heat 7-2, it was UBCO who opened the scoring late in the 45
th minute. Fourth-year midfielder
Annika Gross of Kelowna, B.C., took a feed from
Abigail Taneda of West Kelowna, B.C., and fired a shot from 25-yards out that beat De Amaral to give the Heat the lead at the break.
For Taneda, the assist gives her 20 points for her career with UBCO, tying her with former teammate
Stefanie Young for the most points in a career by a member of the Heat.
With their playoff lives hanging in the balance, TRU responded with goals eight minutes apart early in the second half to take the lead. However, Sun's heroics would deny the hometown squad any points as UBCO jumped five points ahead of the WolfPack for fourth place in the Pacific division standings with just two games remaining for each side.
Shots in the match favoured the Heat 15-11, including 13-7 on goal. UBCO keeper
Talia Gagnon of Dieppe, N.B., finished the match with five saves to pick up her sixth win of the season.
De Amaral took the loss making 10 saves.
UBCO now sits with a 6-5-1 record and 19 points on the campaign, two back of the Victoria Vikes (6-2-3) and one behind the Trinity Western Spartans (6-3-2) in the Pacific division. Meanwhile the WolfPack fall to 4-6-2.
The Heat will break for the remainder of the Thanksgiving weekend before returning to action on Friday, October 18 against the aforemention Vikes. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. in Victoria and the game can be seen live on CanadaWest.tv.
