Heading into the second-last weekend of the Canada West soccer regular season, there’s plenty on the line for the University of the Fraser Valley men’s and women’s teams.
On Friday, the Cascades travel to Vancouver to take on the UBC Thunderbirds (women 5 p.m., men 7:30 p.m.). On Saturday, they’re back at their home pitch at Abbotsford Senior Secondary for their final home games of the regular season. The Victoria Vikes are the guests, with the women kicking things off at 5 p.m. followed by the men at 7:30 p.m.
For the UFV women, the short-term goal is to earn the right to host a Canada West quarter-final playoff game. That distinction goes to the top two teams in the Pacific Division, and the Cascades (7-1-0, 21 points) are currently in third place, locked in a fantastic battle with the Trinity Western Spartans and the Vikes (both 7-0-1 for 22 points). Each team has four games remaining.
“It’s a huge weekend for us,” UFV head coach Rob Giesbrecht said. “The two teams we’re playing this weekend and us have all qualified for the playoffs, we’re just jostling for positioning. We’re looking forward to these challenges.”
The Cascades men, meanwhile, are perched squarely on the playoff bubble – their 4-4-0 record (12 points) has them occupying the fourth and final playoff slot in the Pacific Division, just behind third-place UBC Okanagan (4-5-1, 13 points) and just ahead of fifth-place Trinity Western (3-4-1, 10 points).
“I don’t think we have anyone to fear but ourselves,” coach Alan Errington said. “It’s about how we turn up and how well-prepared we are.”
Saturday’s home finales will be highlighted by a ceremony prior to the men’s game to honour the program’s five graduating players – goalkeeper Mark Village, defenders Ravi Singh and Trevor O’Neill, midfielder Ryan Liddiard, and forward Juan Pablo Mora Perea.
Both visiting UVic teams are ranked in the CIS top 10: the women are No. 4, while the men are No. 6.
HOOPSTERS HIT THE ROAD
The men’s and women’s basketball teams are both on the road for exhibition games this week.
The Cascades women, the reigning CIS bronze medalists, visit the University of Regina for a preseason tournament featuring three of Canada’s other elite programs. The Cascades take on the Saskatchewan Huskies on Thursday (4 p.m., all game times Pacific), the host Regina Cougars on Friday (6 p.m.) and the Carleton Ravens on Saturday (10 a.m.) at the U of R’s Centre for Kinesiology, Health and Sport.
“We’ve worked on a lot of things over the past couple weeks, so hopefully we’ll have a chance to put those things into play,” UFV coach Al Tuchscherer said. “We’re facing three quality opponents, and it’s a chance for us to get better.”
The Cascades men play closer to home – they travel to Surrey’s Semiahmoo Secondary this Thursday to take on the Trinity Western Spartans. It’s the first preseason game vs. a CIS foe for the UFV men, and tip-off is at 7 p.m.
“We’re really looking forward to getting our CIS competition started for the season,” coach Adam Friesen said. “Trinity is going to be a hard-working, energetic, tough team to play against.”
LOOKING AHEAD: WEEK OF OCT. 13-18
Next week is shaping up to be an even busier one for the Cascades, as the golf, basketball, volleyball, soccer and rowing teams are all in action.
• The golf teams head to Quebec City for the PING CCAA National Championships, Oct. 14-17. UFV is the defending champion on both the men’s and women’s sides, and both teams are currently ranked No. 1 in the CCAA.
• The volleyball teams open the PacWest regular season with a home-and-home set vs. their crosstown rivals, the Columbia Bible College Bearcats. They host the Bearcats on Friday at the Envision Athletic Centre (women 6 p.m., men 8 p.m.), and visit CBC on Saturday (women 6 p.m., men 8 p.m.).
• The basketball teams host their annual preseason tournament Oct. 16-18 at the Envision Athletic Centre.
The men’s hoopsters play the Windsor Lancers on Thursday, Oct. 16 (7 p.m.), and Trinity Western on Friday, Oct. 17 (7 p.m. in the North Gym).
The women face the Queen’s Golden Gaels, coming all the way from Kingston, Ont., at 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 17 and take on the UBC Thunderbirds at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18.
• The soccer teams wrap up the Canada West regular season with road games at Trinity Western on Friday, Oct. 17 (women 5 p.m., men 7 p.m.) and at the UVic Vikes on Saturday, Oct. 18 (women 5 p.m., men 7:15 p.m.).
• The rowing team is off to Calgary for the Western Canadian University Rowing Championships on Saturday, Oct. 18.
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