Facing two do-or-die games this weekend with a playoff berth in the balance, the University of the Fraser Valley men's soccer team has emerged – still alive and kicking.
Tobias Spiess was the hero on Saturday night in Kelowna, scoring both Cascade goals as the UFV side edged the UBC Okanagan Heat 2-1.
Based on out-of-town results, with Thompson Rivers and UBC winning earlier in the evening, the Cascades – coming off a thrilling
1-0 victory over the Heat on Friday – knew that nothing less than a win in their regular-season finale would get them into the post-season. A draw or a loss, and they were done.
The Heat made the Cascades sweat – first, by holding them off the scoreboard in the first half, and later, after Spiess had staked UFV to a 2-0 lead, by scoring in the 83rd minute via Owen Spicker to send Cascade heart-rates skyrocketing.
But the UFV side was able to get the job done, improving to 4-3-5 for 17 points while dropping the Heat – who had been eliminated from playoff contention with Friday's loss – to 2-6-4.
The Cascades clinched their post-season berth at the expense of the Trinity Western Spartans (3-3-6, 15 points), who had closed out their regular-season schedule a week ago and were surely watching the scoreboard anxiously, hoping UFV would drop points on Saturday.
"Great mental toughness," enthused Cascades head coach
Tom Lowndes, whose team will find out the identity of its first-round foe on Sunday, with three CW games yet to be played.
"This group's now undefeated in seven, and that's something that's kind of gone under the radar. I think we're hitting form at the right time. To make the playoffs after we had a rough start is fantastic.
"I can't say enough about the boys. They're a fantastic group to be around, and I just love being around them. Their attitude and work rate is just infectious, and it's nights like tonight that make it all worthwhile."
The Cascades started to find their form as Saturday's first half wore on, and came within inches of opening the scoring on the final kick of the half as Spiess headed the ball just over the bar.
Spiess, the rookie centre back from Nuremberg, Germany, was undeterred. In the 58th minute, he rose to nod home
David Parfett's free kick and allow his squad to breathe easier.
He made it 2-0 on a penalty kick in the 76th.
Manpal Brar came dashing into the box from the right side and was bowled over by a UBCO defender, and the referee pointed to the spot. Spiess stepped up and sent a rising shot into the centre of the net, as Heat keeper Nicholas Reitsma dove to his left.
Spicker gave the Cascades a pre-Halloween scare in the 83rd, pouncing on the rebound off Jimmy Steel's initial shot and poking it past UFV keeper
Jackson Cowx. But the Cascades were able to see the game out from there, setting off a post-game celebration that saw Lowndes doused with the contents of the water cooler.
"Crazy," he said with a chuckle afterward "You'd have thought we'd won Canada West. They're buzzing.
"When we were up 2-0, we were professional in the way we played – we tried to see the game out. We let them in with a sloppy goal, but we've bent a bit but we haven't broke. We stayed strong, we stayed together. The guys on the side just willing each other on was fantastic. A great mentality there that will hopefully set now, when we actually go into playoffs."
Spiess has been sensational in his debut campaign for the Cascades, and he came through in the clutch on Saturday.
"I can't say enough about him," Lowndes marveled. "He's been unlucky – he probably should have scored three or four more goals this season off set pieces. He's come in and formed a great partnership with Sahib (Sidhu, at centre back) for us.
"The boys were excellent, just warriors. I felt we were the better team for most of the game, and had some great chances in the first half that we didn't take. Most teams would be deflated at that, but we came out in the second half firing."
