Friday, Aug. 30: Cascades (0-2-0, T-6th in Pacific Division) at UNBC Timberwolves (1-1-0, T-3rd in Pacific Division), 6 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 1: Cascades at Timberwolves, 1 p.m.
Prince George, B.C.
Webcast: CanadaWest.tv

The University of the Fraser Valley men's soccer squad renews hostilities with the UNBC Timberwolves this weekend, seeking their first win of the young Canada West campaign.

The Cascades, coming off matching 2-0 losses to UBC and UVic last week, clash with the T-Wolves in a Friday/Sunday set and will be looking to increase the potency of their offensive attack.

"Consistency is the key," Cascades head coach Tom Lowndes analyzed. "We were decent in some stretches – it's finding that level and playing at that level for a consistent amount of time. We need to be better with the ball, and we need to tweak and fine-tune some things defensively as well."

The Cascades' and T-Wolves' Pacific Division rivalry went to another level last season, when they clashed in a two-game set in Abbotsford to wrap up conference play. Both teams were in playoff position heading in, but required either one win or two draws over the course of the two games to ensure a post-season spot.

UFV punched its ticket, securing four of a possible six points in dramatic fashion – they won the opener 1-0 on a goal in injury time, and then earned a 2-2 draw in the finale behind Gurmaan Jhaj's penalty kick in the 90th. UNBC, meanwhile, was overtaken by the Thompson Rivers WolfPack for the final playoff spot in the Pacific.

"It's always a difficult place to go and play," Lowndes noted. "They enjoy playing at home, they'll be up for it, and they'll have a bit of added motivation from last year's games, for sure."
This weekend's games will be webcast at CanadaWest.tv, and fans can access discounts on all-access or sport passes with the code "UFV2019".

Players to watch: Fifth-year captain Gurmaan Jhaj will be looked upon to provide leadership by example as the Cascades seek to snap their season-opening scoring drought. Jhaj was second in Canada West in goals with 13 last season, and he's three goals back of the Cascades' career record. If he can break through this weekend, it will go a long way for the UFV side. Standing in his way will be UNBC fourth-year keeper Rob Goodey, who posted five clean sheets last season and stopped 13 shots over the course of the two games vs. UFV in 2018.