Heat men's soccer hit the road

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Feb 23, 2015
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After opening with four straight home matches UBC Okanagan will leave their own turf. First up is in Victoria on Friday night (7:15 p.m.). Saturday evening in Vancouver at UBC scheduled to start at 7 p.m.


Game Times

FRIDAY, SEP. 25th:
7:15 PM (PST) | UBC Okanagan Heat (1-3-0) at #10 Vicoria Vikes (3-1-1)
TICKETS | LIVE WEBCAST | LIVE STATS @ Centennial Stadium, Victoria, BC

SATURDAY, SEP. 26th:
7 PM (PST) | UBC Okanagan Heat (1-3-0) at #4 UBC Thunderbirds (2-0-1)
TICKETS | LIVE WEBCAST | LIVE STATS @ Thunderbird Stadium, Kelowna, BC


KELOWNA, B.C - After a nerve-wrecking weekend at home against the University of Northern British Columbia ending in a split, the UBC Okanagan men's soccer team will now be on the road for the first time in conference play this upcoming Friday and Saturday.

The Heat will first travel to play the University of Victoria at the Centennial Stadium on Friday, Sept. 25th where the game is set to begin at 7:15 p.m. The Heat will ferry to the mainland to play the University of British Columbia at Thunderbird Stadium on Saturday night, the 26th of September where kick-off is scheduled at 7 p.m.

UBC Okanagan men's soccer team head coach Dante Zanatta's squad hope that the matches on the road will open up the offense, after only scoring two goals on the season, both coming in the (2-0) win this past Friday (Sept. 18) in their win against UNBC.

Players to Watch out for : Tait Cuthill (21 saves this season), Jadan Wong (1 goal this season).

Key Performer : Jadan Wong was the Heat's star performer the past weekend where he enthralled the crowds with a sizzling late acrobatic effort that found the net. His chance creation abilities will be a key if the Heat are to get points this weekend.


#10 UVic (3-1-1) – The Vikes, who are placed 10th in the nation and are currently topping their group charts, have had an excellent start to the season so far. The men from Victoria will be looking to continue their good form this Friday.

Players to watch out for: Craig Gorman (3 goals this season), Dominic Colantonio (2 goals and 1 assist this season).

Key Performer: Midfielder Dominic Colantonio has gotten two goals and a single assist to his name. His creativity with the ball and his goal scoring prowess will be required once again when the Vikes play host to the Heat this Friday.

Head to Head: Heat // Vikes : The Vikes managed to win the first game and the two sides drew level in the second game last season, theri first competing against each other. The record now reads 1-0-1 to the Vikes.

UVic Canada West Preview

2014-15 CW Regular Season Record: 8-1-3
2014-15 CW Playoff Record: 0-2
Last CW Title/Total CW Titles: 2009 / 16
Last CIS Title/Total CIS Titles: 2011 / 5
Number of new players: 8

Recruits: Isaac Koch (M/1), Jasdeep Lally (GK/1), Keegan Lang (F/3), Xavier Araujo (M/1), Justin Atwal (D/1), Jyotish Khanna (F/1), Evan Stefanek (D/1), Cole Tamburri (GK/1)

Number of departing players: 7

Losses: Alex Redpath (D/5), Rhyse Harnden (D/4), Craig Taylor (M/5), Spencer MacKinnon (M/5), Cameron Stokes (F/5), Adam Plantinga (M/5), Aaron Murphy (D/2)

Key returnees: Cam Hundal (M/5), Craig Gorman (M/5), Adam Ravenhill (D/4), Noah Pawlowski (GK/4), Sam Prette (M/4), Dominic Colantonio (M/5), Gareth Langdon (M/3)

Key Performer: Fourth-year keeper Pawlowski is undoubtedly Victoria's anchor in the backfield. Pawlowski was the top CIS net minder last year, named a CIS First Team All-Canadian, while the Langara College transfer also brings a wide spectrum of experience and leadership.

Coach quote: "Our team's strength is definitely our depth but also that we have a good mix of seniors and they are mostly based in midfield. We will definitely be looking to our more experienced players, in particular our captains, to leads us both on and off the field. It's definitely their time to step up." – Head coach Bruce Wilson

Key storyline: The University of Victoria Vikes men's soccer team enter the 2015 Canada West and CIS season with a strong midfield line up and a few key recruits. Returning for their final seasons are fifth year midfielders and this year's captains Cam Hundal and Craig Gorman. The duo helped Victoria capture their fifth CIS title in their rookie year, in 2011, and Hundal was named the championship tournament's MVP.

Gorman and Hundal will look to their fellow seniors Sam Prette, Dominic Colantonio, Adam Ravenhill and Noah Pawlowski to get them back to the CIS championship, hosted this year at York University. Head Coach Bruce Wilson enters his 28th season and is confident about where the strength in this year's team lies.




UBC (2-2-1): The Thunderbirds, who are ranked fourth across the nation and second in the group standings, have had a positive start to the season as they go in to the game with a record reading (2-0-1) after three games. The side from Vancouver will be looking to further capitalize on their excellent start to the season.

Players to Watch out for : Gagan Dosanjh (2 goals and 1 assist this season), Titouan Chopin ( 1 goal and 1 assist this season ).

Key Performer : Gagan Dosanjh has had a terrific start to the season with 2 goals and an assist to his name. The T-bird's forward also has 13 shots on goal and his side will be turning to him for inspiration when they host the Heat this Saturday.

Head to Head: Heat // Thunderbirds: The last time these two sides met was in the play-offs last season when hosts Thunderbirds won 3-0. In the regular season UBC won (4-0) in Kelowna and (2-0) in Vancouver. The boys from Kelowna will be looking for redemption this time around.

UBC Canada West Preview

2014-15 CW Regular Season Record: 9-2-1
2014-15 CW Playoff Record: 2-1
2014-15 Overall Record: 12-4-1
Last CW Title/Total CW Titles: 2013/15
Last CIS Title/Total CIS Titles: 2013/13

Number of new players: 9

Key Recruits: Kerman Pannu (F/Surrey, B.C./Surrey United), Chad Bush (GK/Ottawa, Ont./Ottawa Fury), Justin Wallace (M/Kamloops, B.C./Thompson Rivers University)

Number of departing players: 13

Key Losses: Paul Clerc (D/5), Luke O'Shea (G/5), Niall Cousens (F/2), Milad Mehrabi (M/4), Navid Mashinchi (M/5)

Key performer: Chris Serban, 2014 CIS Rookie of the Year

Coach Quote: "With Justin(Wallace) coming in and Gagan (Dosanjh) re-joining the team, those two can lead in the locker room, and on the field while helping our younger players along in their respective development. That duo is one of the best in the CIS in my opinion." – UBC head coach Mike Mosher

Key storyline: UBC is trying to get back to the CIS national championship after a year's absence. The team's core is very different, having lost its entire goalkeeping core from last season, as well as the Canada West MVP in Navid Mashinchi, top goal scorer Milad Mehrabi and all-Canadian defender Paul Clerc.

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