Morning Star Staff
Vernon’s Enzo Paal scored a second-half goal from the penalty spot to give the UBC Okanagan Heat a 2-2 tie with the 10th-ranked University of Victoria Vikings in CIS men’s university soccer action Friday in Victoria.
It was Paal’s first goal of the season. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound midfielder/striker is a third-year arts student.
The Heat (1-3-1) concluded the weekend with a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to the UBC Thunderbirds in Vancouver.
UBC escaped with the win late in stoppage time when first-year midfielder Kerman Pannu retrieved a rebound from the Heat keeper Tait Cuthill and pelted it into the lower left-hand corner.
Pannu was subbed into the game in the 78th minute as one of head coach Mike Mosher’s attempts to spark the lackluster Thunderbirds in the second half.
Gagan Dosanjh also converted for UBC with Luke Warkentin finding the net for UBC Okanagan.
Both teams went head to head for the full 90 minutes with the Heat nearly coming away with their second straight draw on the road, and their first points ever off of the T-Birds only to be disheartened seconds before the whistle blew by Pannu’s goal.
Warkentin, a native of Surrey, opened the scoring against the ‘Birds, whose keepr Chad Bush came out to meet a Heat attacker, foiled his shot on goal, but lost control of the ball when Warkentin jumped over him, evening the score at 1-1.
The Heat are still in fifth place just two points behind Trinity Western Spartans at 1-3-1. The Heat visit Fraser Valley Cascades at Exhibition Field in Chilliwack Friday at 4 p.m. and then face Trinity Western Saturday 7:15 p.m. at Langley Rogers Park.
In women’s action, Vernon’s Michelle Smith scored UBCO’s goal in its home opener, a 2-1 loss to UBC Saturday at the Nonis Sports Field.
Smith, a senior, fired a booming shot into the top right corner of the net for her third goal in seven games in the 72nd minute.
The Heat (1-4-3) fell 5-1 to UVIC Sunday afternoon at home.
