The opponent will be the same. The UNBC Northern Timberwolves are confident the result can be different.
For the second year in a row, the UNBC men's soccer team will battle the Capilano University Blues in a first-round playoff match-up. The two B.C. Colleges Athletic Association squads will meet Friday afternoon at Newton Athletic Park in Surrey.
Last year, the T-wolves made their first-ever appearance in playoffs and were promptly eliminated after a 1-0 loss to the Blues.
"They were, without a doubt, a better team than we were last year," said UNBC head coach Sonny Pawar. "But I like our chances a lot better this year. The guys have prepared well. They've worked hard in preparing and I think we're going into the playoffs far more confident than we were last year. It's just a matter of going out there and doing our thing."
With a record of 6-5-1, the Timberwolves finished the regular season third in Group A. The Blues, at 5-4-2, ended up second in Group B. When UNBC and Capilano went head-to-head Oct. 9 in Prince George, Capilano won 4-2.
"I thought when we played them up here the score was a bit flattering for them," Pawar said. "It was 2-2 at half-time and they scored two late goals -- two fairly soft goals as far as we were concerned. We're really looking forward to this challenge."
In Friday's other first-round playoff game, the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack of Kamloops (7-2-3) will take on the Quest University Kermodes of Squamish (3-6-2). The Douglas College Royals of New Westminster (10-0-2) and Vancouver Island University Mariners of Nanaimo (8-1-2) have byes to the Saturday semifinals. The Royals are defending provincial champions.
This year's winning team will advance to the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association nationals, Nov. 3-6 in Edmonton.
