UNBC made some history on the soccer pitch Sunday.
With a 1-0 shutout victory against Trinity Western University, combined with 5-3 win Saturday, the men's side posted its first-ever two-win weekend of the team's three-year history in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Canada West Conference.
And the Timberwolves earned the victories at home, on the second-last weekend of the regular season to improve to 3-7 and nine points to sit seventh in the Pacific Division.
The TWU Spartans fall to 3-4-1 and 10 points for sixth place.
"This was a big weekend for us, it's our first six-point weekend in the CIS," said UNBC head coach Alan Alderson after Sunday's match. "For a young team, we've gotten better all season. Yesterday [Saturday] we were down a goal early and then it was tied 3-3. We could have faded... and then to back it up with a win today, it was really gutsy and fantastic."
On Sunday, the Spartans took it to the Timberwolves, outshooting them by 10-2 and 11-6 margins in the first and second halves respectively.
With a little more than five minutes left in the match, rookie striker Francesco Bartolillo curled a corner kick right into the top right corner of the Spartans net to give UNBC a 1-0 lead.
The Spartans kept pressing offensively, but time ran out and UNBC earned the victory. Ty Venola, the Timberwolves' third-year goalkeeper, earned the shutout victory.
Saturday, rookie forward Brandon Wallace scored three times, including the winner and added an assist to help lead the Timberwolves to their 5-3 win.
Third-year midfielder Brett Bobier and second-year striker Tofa Fakunle also connected on goals for UNBC.
"I've never scored three goals in a game before," said Wallace, a biology student from Chilliwack. "Yesterday we came out and we were ready to play them, these [games] are a huge two wins for us."
UNBC now tackles the 0-7-1 Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops this Friday and Saturday to wrap up the regular season.
Prior to their match, UNBC honoured fourth-year defender Harjas Grewal who will graduate with his biochemistry/molecular biology degree next spring.
