Penticton soccer players headed to Canada West Final Four with TRU WolfPack

There is no way around it, the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack had a stinky start to the season.

And it wasn’t just the five games cancelled due to the poor air quality. Their play was so bad, that last year’s national bronze medallists weren’t even considering a return to the playoffs.

“Personally, I didn’t think we would be here. I was getting ready to go look for a job thinking it was over,” admits James Fraser, a Penticton Pinnacles alum.

That is until they snuck in a win, and then another. As the tide started turning, so did the WolfPack’s mentality.

“It was the last three games and we just knew we had to win these to get another shot at moving forward. We just kept believing in each other and got in by the nick of our necks,” said Fraser, a third-year WolfPack player.

Fraser, along with Pinnacles alum Jordell Afonso and Brady Van Ryswyk, now are headed to the Canada West Final Four.

“It’s a cool feeling for sure. We are relatively new to the post-secondary soccer scene as a club but coming from the Penticton Pinnacles, I love that small town feel. It is like us against giants,” said Fraser. “We are the new kids on the block when you compare us to the team’s in the Final Four — UBC, U of A and Trinity. We don’t have all the history of a winning club behind us, so don’t have all the pressure, but we are starting to solidify our school as one of the best in the nation.”

It was back-to-back wins over previously unbeaten opponents that elevated the WolfPack to a No. 8 position in the USPORTS top 10 rankings, the first time this season that the WolfPack have been in the top 10. This was sparked by a 1-0 win over the No. 1 ranked UBC Thunderbirds.

With their playoff life on the line, the WolfPack needed the victory over the Thunderbirds, who were unbeaten in 13 starts.

This was then followed by a 3-1 upset win over the University of Alberta Golden Bears on Oct. 27 in the Canada West playoffs. The Bears saw 500-plus minutes of scoreless soccer come to an end in this match.

âš½ï¸ MSOC // ðŸ“º Replay – Justin Donaldson's reply to the ALB goal at 58'. pic.twitter.com/oxrNB4Btv2

— TRU WolfPack ðŸº (@GoTRUWolfPack) October 27, 2018

“Very happy for the boys. Overall it was a fantastic effort. The guys played great from beginning to end defensively. We were very sound. The backline was absolutely fantastic. We were able to convert the chances that we got,” said WolfPack coach John Antulov. “They knew it was going to be a tough battle. They rose to the occasion.”

Last season Fraser and Van Ryswyk won national bronze medals with the WolfPack, ground-breaking for the squad as this was their first appearance in the Canada West final four. They won a bronze medal after defeating the Bears with penalty kicks.

This season Fraser had 10 points in 15 games, sitting behind team leader Mitchell Popadynetz, who had 11 points in 11 games. Afonso, a first-year player, suited up for five of the WolfPack’s games in the regular season and Van Ryswyk, the third string goalie, did not appear in any regular season games.

TRU will meet Trinity Western Spartans (ranked ninth) in the semifinal of the Canada West Final Four, on Nov. 2 at UBC at 4 p.m. It will be the third meeting between the two teams on the pitch this season.

“I think we just have to continue what we are going. Be defensively sound. Be sharp. Be organized and balanced. Try to limit their opportunities. Be prepared to play a long time — 94 or 95 minutes. Trinity never stops. They have that mentality. You have to be mistake free the whole game to be successful,” said Antulov.

Fraser Valley and UBC will meet in the other match. The two winners of these games will face each other on Nov. 4 for the gold medal, the losers will battle for bronze on Nov. 3.

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