Evan Libke's goal in the dying minutes was the difference as the Victoria Vikes edged the University of the Fraser Valley 1-0 in Canada West men's soccer action on Friday.

The Cascades' conference opener was played under what head coach Tom Lowndes termed "a monsoon", with rain coming down in sheets from opening kickoff to final whistle.

In the end, it was Vikes fifth-year defender Libke with the game-breaking play – in the 85th minute, he came forward for a Mark Kaiser corner kick and tracked down the ball on a scramble in the box, poking it home.

UVic improved to a West Division-leading 2-0-1, while the Cascades (0-1-0) will seek a measure of revenge when the two teams meet again on Sunday at 3 p.m.

"I'm not too disappointed with the performance – I thought we did OK for Game 1," UFV bench boss Tom Lowndes said. "We said at halftime, it was going to be one thing – one bit of magic, one mistake, one set piece, one chance is probably going to win the game. That's how tight the league is this year, and unfortunately it's gone the other way tonight.

"The first 20 minutes we weren't great, but I thought we settled in and probably were the better team (from that point). We talked about nullifying their set pieces, specifically their corners, and for 85 minutes, we've done a fantastic job of that. It's one set piece that we've kind of switched off on, and they've scored. That's the reality, sometimes. That's what gets you three points, or one point, or zero points. Tonight it was zero, when we probably deserved something from the game."

Each side generated a high-level chance in the opening 45. Kaiser forced a solid save out of UFV's Joben Mander in the 25th minute, and in the 29th, Cascades midfielder Trevor Zanatta had a chance from 12 yards out off a long throw from Mikael Mainella, but UVic's Harjot Nijjar was up to the task.

Friday's game was originally scheduled for Rotary Stadium but was shifted to MRC Sports Complex after Rotary's natural grass pitch was closed due to the heavy rainfall.

"I have to be honest with you – I've been around a long flippin' time, and I don't think I've ever seen a steadier rain than this, ever," marveled Vikes head coach Bruce Wilson, who is in his 34th year helming the UVic side. "We've played in some harsh conditions – snow and whatever – but the actual rain just keeps coming down, it's unbelievable. Without the artificial turf, the game would not have happened, that's for sure."