Winless weekend for the Cascades ends their season early

In the Cascades’ last weekend of the regular season, they hosted the University of Victoria (UVIC) Vikes on Friday, before heading to Vancouver to face off against the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds on Sunday. Coming off two wins the previous weekend, the Cascades aimed to carry their momentum forward. 

The last time the Cascades faced off against the Vikes was nearly two months ago. That match was only the second game of the season for the Cascades. Although the Cascades battled through their first game against the Vikes, two goals in the second half for UVIC resulted in a 2-0 loss for the Cascades. 

In Friday’s game, the Cascades looked to answer for their previous loss against the Vikes. For over a quarter of the game, neither team was able to score; however, in the 35th minute of play the Vikes’ Isaac Koch was able to place a shot past UFV goalkeeper, Ethan Duggan. This goal came when Koch positioned himself in the 18-yard box, on the right. From here he shot the ball low, into the opposite corner of the net. After Koch’s goal the two teams battled for the remainder of the half, but neither team could score. 

When the Cascades started the second half, they were eager to tie the game. Throughout the second half, they took a total of 12 shots, while keeping the Vikes to only three shots. Although the Cascades were relentless with their offensive pressure, Vikes’ goalkeeper Jas Lally had an exceptional game. UFV forced Lally to make a total of 12 saves throughout the game. With his stellar performance, the Vikes were able to win off Koch’s first-half goal, and Lally took home a shutout.

After starting their final regular season weekend off with a loss, the Cascades travelled to Vancouver for a match against the division leader, UBC. Much like with the Vikes, the last time the Cascades faced off against UBC was their season opening weekend. In the previous game against UBC, the Cascades lost 2-0.

Unfortunately for the Cascades, their final game of the season saw them unable to score. In the first half of play, UBC’s Sam Fletcher and Kerman Pannu both placed the ball past UFV’s goalkeeper, Duggan, resulting in a 2-0 lead for the Thunderbirds after the first half of play. Shortly following half-time, UBC’s Thomas Gardner increased the Thunderbirds’ lead to three after being awarded a free kick. For the rest of the game, neither team put another point up on the board, and the Thunderbirds won 3-0.

Entering the weekend, the Cascades held the fourth spot in the Canada West Pacific standings. Without a win over the weekend, they fell to the sixth spot, narrowly missing making the playoffs. Cascades finished their 2019 season with a record of 5-6-4. 

Image: UFV Athletics

Nic Jackson

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