SPARTANS HOST BULLDOGS IN FINAL HOME MATCH

This Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. the Trinity Western University Spartans men's soccer team hosts the NCAA Div. I Gonzaga University Bulldogs in their final home match of the 2008 spring season.

The last time the two teams met was on August 26, 07 when the Bulldogs defeated the Spartans 4-0 in Spokane, Wash. Last season the Spartans split with the Bulldogs in their two matches. TWU defeated Gonzaga 1-0 on April 15 after losing to the Bulldogs 3-1 on August 20 in Spokane, Wash.

The Bulldogs made it to the NCAA tournament last fall, where they fell 1-0 to SMU. It was the second time the Gonzaga coach Thorarinsson had taken the Bulldogs to the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs spring squad is a significantly different team then the one that finished the fall season. Gonzaga saw the careers end for ten Bulldog seniors in their final match at the NCAA championship, so it will be up to the younger Gonzaga players to make their mark this weekend.

The Spartans finished fifth at the CIS Nationals in November of 2007, and won their third straight Canada West gold medal along the way. TWU also won the conference's regular season crown with a record of 11-2-1, scoring a league-high 33 goals while allowing a league-low 14. The high-powered Spartans return a loaded roster, including second team all-Canadian defender Paul Hamilton (Calgary), the Canada West's top two scorers in forwards Adrian Kekec (Burnaby, B.C.) and Nathan Pogue (Seaside, Ore.), and first team all-conference goalkeeper Andrew Fink (Burnaby, B.C.).

Last Wednesday, April 2 the Spartans fell 3-0 to the Vancouver Whitecaps FC in front of one of the largest crowds to witness a CIS men's soccer team play in Canada. The Spartans drew over 2,275 fans to watch the Spartans set a new TWU game record for a men's soccer match.

Gonzaga and the Whitecaps Residency team will close out the weekend with a match at noon Sunday afternoon at TWU's Spartan Field.

The Spartans will play one more team before wrapping up the 2008 spring season. TWU will travel to Oregon State on Saturday, April 26. Match time in Corvallis, Ore. is set for 7:30 p.m.

-TW-

Last Updated: 2008-04-12
Author: Scott Stewart
Email: ssstew@twu.ca