The saying is true: It's not how you start, it's how you finish, and Friday's match (Aug. 30) between the men's soccer squads from UNBC and UFV was a prime example.
The mood was quickly dampened in Masich Place Stadium after UFV struck blood first just 2:23 into the game from Parman Minhas, but the Timberwolves kept climbing the mountain.
“That was definitely nerves. The home opener, playing in front of the home crowd,” UNBC’s Abou Cisse said. “We have to be clinical in the back third. That will be our goal on Sunday.”
UNBC would control the pace for the rest of the half with two great chances from Owen Stewart and Michael Henman, but Ethan Duggan was able to shut the door for the Cascades and hold onto their 1-0 lead going into the half.
In the second, the Timberwolves kept the pressure on with great looks, coming up empty-handed.
But late-game heroics would get fans in attendance on their feet.
After coming on as a substitution, freshman Reid Adams used his speed to get into the Cascades box before dropping it off to Abou Cisse, who made the most of the opportunity, scoring a highlight-reel goal after beating two defenders with a fake before powering it into the top corner past Duggan to not the game at 1-1 in the 75th minute.
The pace of the game would pick up in the final 15 with both teams heading up and down the field creating chances, but Masich Place Stadium would let out a loud gasp when UFV's Rajan Bains hammered a laser off the post, keeping the game tied.
“We played how coach told us. He tells us to be aggressive and ruthless around the net,” Cisse added. “It was good we came back. We get one point, they get one point. We come back in a couple days even stronger.”
UNBC would end the game with over double the shots of the Cascades, 13-6.
“They were coming at us the entire game,” UFV keeper Ethan Duggan said postgame. “They high-pressed, which caught us off guard. It put us under pressure and we needed to be more aware in the back.”
The Timberwolves now own a record of 1-1-1 while UFV remains winless to begin the 2019-20 season at 0-2-1.
The two squads will go at it again this Sunday (Sept. 1) with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.
RECAP: @UNBCMSoccer found themselves down to @UFVCascades in the opening minutes, but dictated much of the play from there, earning a 1-1 draw at Masich Place. Get all the details here: https://t.co/ErJbTmZBvw pic.twitter.com/uPOAcBmqTY
— UNBC Athletics (@UNBCATHLETICS) August 31, 2019
