Abbotsford, BC –
Matheus De Souza's 12
th career shutout set a new program record on Sunday as the UFV Cascades men's soccer team clinched second place in the Canada West pacific division with a 0-0 draw against the University of Victoria Vikes.
The pivotal result sees the Cascades finish just above the Vikes in the standings after the final regular season game, and completes the playoff picture going into next week.
How it Happened:
After a tentative start to the opening half, it was UFV's
Brody Perkin that found the best chance of the opening half in the 29
th minute. After driving forward, the Cascades defender unleashed a shot that took a small deflection and forced an awkward save out of Victoria keeper Callum Weir.
Spencer Mellet and
Mateo Brazinha would each test Weir in the late stages of the opening half, but would be turned away both times.
The Vikes would find their second and final shot of the game in the 49
th minute, but De Souza was up to the task keeping it scoreless.
UFV's
Adam Szymanski got on the end of a
Dante Colebourne corner kick in the 67
th minute and although his shot seemed destined for the net it would strike a Victoria defender in the face and ricochet clear.
UFV would look the stronger team in the late stages, but both teams would settle for the point with no winner to be found.
Notable:
De Souza's 12 career shutout passes UFV legends Mark Village and Jackson Cowx for the all-time Cascades shutout record.
UFV celebrated graduating seniors
Mateo Brazinha,
Bhagvir Sidhu,
Michael Beecroft, and
Kevin Mailand in a pregame ceremony on Sunday.
UFV outshot the Vikes 5-2 in the game, and created seven corner kicks to just two from Victoria.
UFV's 29 points and 8-3-5 record is a new program best, eclipsing the previous high-mark of 8-5-3 in 2024.
Quotable:
UFV striker
Mateo Brazinha
"It's massive for the program, and it helps us remember the past and show how far we've come, but now we have a week to decompress and get ready for our opponents."
"Today was an emotional game, and it hit me more than I thought it was going to, but Kevin, Michael, and Buggy, I can't find enough superlatives to describe what they have done for this program. It's monumental, and without their contributions we wouldn't be where we are."
Up Next:
The Cascades now look ahead to the Canada West playoffs next week. With their second-place finish, the Cascades will now head to Calgary to take on the University of Alberta Golden Bears on Friday, with kickoff set for 1pm MDT. The winner of that game will go on to face the winner of the Calgary Dinos and Thompson Rivers on Sunday.
Keep up to date
Cascades regular season home games offer free admission for UFV students with their student card. You can keep up with all the action at gocascades.ca, or by following the UFV Cascades on social media at @ufvcascades. All Cascades regular season soccer, volleyball, and basketball games are also available to watch live and on demand at canadawest.tv.
About UFV
Located in the beautiful Fraser Valley just east of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
, the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) is a
fully accredited, public university that enrolls approximately 15,000 students per year. UFV has
campuses and locations in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, and Hope, and a growing presence in Chandigarh, India.
