VANCOUVER – The UFV Cascades saw their hopes for a Canada West Final appearance dashed at the last possible moment, as the UBC Thunderbirds found the only goal in the very final kick of the match after 120 minutes. The Cascades, who were the only team to take points off the No. 1 ranked Thunderbirds in the regular season battled valiantly, but for the second straight year saw their season end in extra time to their hosts from UBC.
 
The defending Canada West and U SPORTS champions finally found the winner after 120 minutes to separate them from their lower mainland rivals and it took Henri Godbout's goal with the literal last kick of the match in stoppage time of extra time to get them across the line and keep their undefeated season alive.
 
"It's a heartbreaker of an ending. Probably an ending we didn't deserve, but that is football sometimes," noted UFV head coach Tom Lowndes after the game. "I'm running out of words to describe the lads, who were unbelievable again. They stuck to the game plan, and put in an unbelievable defensive shift  to keep them off the scoreboard for 124 minutes."

"We had moments too, where we caused problems on the counterattack, and I just can't say enough about this group. We deserved a bit more, but we were playing a top team that has been there, done it, and they found a way to win."
 
UBC had the edge in first half possession, with UFV looking dangerous in transition, but neither side was able to carve out any clear cut goalscoring opportunities.
 
The Thunderbirds continued to dominate the play in the second half but the Cascades almost nicked the breakthrough goal in the 53rd minute when Kevin Mailand nearly nipped in and got the ball before Jack Garner came out to collect.
 
Space was at a premium for UBC as UFV defended superbly, but the Thunderbirds finally broke the deep lines only to see Matheus De Souza save Godbout's shot in the 83rd minute.
 
Extra time was an edgy affair with Joaquim Dharamsi and Michael Beecroft having chances for the Cascades.
 
Godbout had a chance with three minutes of the extra time remaining but could only fire over the bar. However, after a lucky deflection fell to him in the final moments, he sliced it past De Souza to give the Thunderbirds the most dramatic of late wins.

"It's gutting for us," Lowndes noted. "I walked into the change room and there were guys crying their eyes out and hugging each other. They're just gutted and it shows how close we were, and how desperately the want it."

"I'm just really proud of the collective effort. For us to go to back-to-back final fours, from a little school in Abbotsford, and to take UBC to extra time two years in a row. It shows where this program has gone, and that's down to the players and the effort that they have put in."

-With files from Michael McColl-