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UBCO, TRU men’s soccer kick off their seasons with a strong start Friday – Sports

The two Interior Canada West university men’s soccer teams had a good start to their season Friday evening at home.

The UBC Okanagan Heat hosted the University of Victoria Vikes at Nonis Field Friday, securing a 1-1 draw against last season’s top team in Canada West’s regular season.

The game got off to a quick start for goalkeeper Jaxson Scholfield, who was making his very first start in goal for the Heat. The Heat gave up a penalty kick in the opening minutes, but Scholfield made a diving save and kept the Vikes off the board.

Fifth-year player Nick Park put the Vikes up by one near the start of the second half, but Saenz Ramos, a second-year player hailing from Monterrey, Mexico, netted the tying goal in the 73rd minute of play.

The Heat will host the UBC Thunderbirds at Nonis Field Saturday, with kick off at 6 pm The game will be another big challenge for the Heat, with the Thunderbirds coming off their Canada West championship last season.

But the Thunderbirds stumbled in their first game of the season Friday, dropping a 2-0 loss to the other Interior team in the league – the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack.

While UBC came out of the gates strong, WolfPack goalie Jackson Gardner and some solid defensive play kept the game even into half time.

In the 63rd minute of the game, the Wolfpack’s Ryan Lewis put in a header off a chip from Marco Favaro, putting the Wolfpack up by one. While UBC continued to pressure, they were unable to get on the board.

And then in extra time, the Wolfpack got their insurance marker thanks to a miscommunication between UBC’s keeper and defender, which resulted in an own goal.

With a great start to their season under the belt, the Wolfpack will host the UVic Vikes on Saturday.