Cascades defeat UBC to complete six-point road weekend

Brittney Zacharuk and the Cascades knocked off the UBC Thunderbirds on the road on Saturday. (Wilson Wong / UBC Athletics)

In a clash of nationally ranked teams, the University of the Fraser Valley women’s soccer squad came up with an impressive road win, defeating the UBC Thunderbirds 1-0 on Saturday evening.

Playing in windy conditions at Thunderbird Stadium, Amanda Carruthers’s goal in the 33rd minute stood up as the game-winner, and Kayla Klim made four saves for her fourth shutout of the season.

The CIS No. 9-ranked Cascades improved to 8-2-2 and gained sole possession of second place in the Pacific Division. The No. 10-ranked T-Birds (5-3-4) are fourth in the division.

“We showed good character today,” said UFV head coach Rob Giesbrecht, whose squad completed a six-point road weekend following Friday’s 2-1 win over UVic.

“First half, we were excellent. We created so many good chances . . . Monika (Levarsky) and Amanda pressed them really hard in the back and caused them problems, and we were successful creating opportunities for ourselves.”

Carruthers notched her sixth goal of the season off a corner – Gurneet Dhaliwal supplied impeccable service, finding the fourth-year forward at the back post, and Carruthers guided it home.

The Cascades out-shot UBC 13-5 in the first half, and had other high-quality looks. UFV had seven corners and looked dangerous on several, and T-Birds keeper Marlee Maracle also made a spectacular save on Levarsky on a semi-breakaway.

“The second half was pretty even – we had some good chances early,” Giesbrecht said. “There weren’t as many chances for either side in the second half.”

Desiree Caruso stepped into the starting lineup at right back and played 90 excellent minutes, earning player of the game honours for UFV.

“She didn’t put a foot wrong, and I’m really proud of her,” Giesbrecht said. “When your opportunity comes, you’ve got to grab onto it and make the most of it, and she definitely did.”

The Cascades are back in action at home next weekend, hosting the Calgary Dinos on Friday and the Lethbridge Pronghorns on Saturday. Both games kick off at 5:30 p.m. at MRC Sports Complex.