MSOC: Final Four ready for showdown this weekend
Your complete Men's Soccer Final Four preview
By Brian Swane, special to CW
The four-time defending champs have home field advantage as they look to fend off a trio of challengers from their neighbouring province to the east, when the Canada West men’s Soccer Final Four unfolds this weekend at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver.
In semi-final contests on Saturday, the host UBC Thunderbirds take on the Alberta Golden Bears while the Calgary Dinos meet the Mount Royal Cougars. The medal matches follow on Sunday, with bronze being decided at 11 a.m. and the gold medal on the line at 1:30 p.m., respectively. Catch all the action streaming live and on demand on Canada West TV.
The 2022 Canada West soccer postseason kicked off last weekend, with UBC beating Saskatchewan 4-2, Alberta blanking UNBC 5-0, Calgary getting past Thompson Rivers 2-1 and Mount Royal besting UFV 2-1 in quarterfinal matches.
The T-Birds are on a historic run, having won every Canada West men’s soccer gold medal that has been awarded since 2017, and seven of the last nine overall. UBC has now captured the Canada West Men’s Soccer Championship Trophy a record 21 times.
Among the teams looking to knock the T-Birds off their perch this weekend is last squad other than UBC to win the Canada West men’s soccer championship, Alberta. There’s also the Dinos, who last won the men’s soccer title in 1980, and Mount Royal, which is seeking its first gold medal.
Here’s a look at how Saturday’s semi-finals stack up:
UBC Thunderbirds vs. Alberta Golden Bears, 2 p.m. Saturday
Regular season results: did not play
Fast Facts:
- Saturday will mark six calendar years since UBC lost a Canada West playoff match. Since then, the T-Birds are 13-0 in conference postseason play, with nine of those victories coming in Vancouver.
- Alberta is the last team to beat UBC in the Canada West playoffs, topping the T-Birds in the 2016 gold medal match. Their dominant defeat of UNBC was the Golden Bears’ first postseason win since 2017.
Players to watch:
- Victory Shumbusho, UBC. The fifth-year forward scored 11 times in 15 games to rank second among the Canada West goal leaders. The 2022 Canada West First Team selection scored a hat trick, with all three goals coming during the first half, in UBC’s quarterfinal victory Saskatchewan.
- David Chung, Alberta. The third-year midfielder had his best match as a Golden Bear last weekend against UNBC, scoring the game-winning goal and adding two assists for a Canada West career-high three points in Alberta’s win. He had four goals and one assist during the regular season.
Mount Royal Cougars vs. Calgary Dinos, 11 a.m. Saturday
Regular season results:
- Cougars def. Dinos 2-1 at Mount Royal on Sept. 3
- Cougars def. Dinos 1-0 at Calgary on Oct. 1
Fast Facts:
- With their victory over Thompson Rivers in the quarterfinal, MRU remains unbeaten in Canada West play this year. The Cougars have won the last two bronze medals at Final Four, in 2019 and 2021.
- The Dinos are looking to reach the Canada West championship match for the second time in the last three postseasons. Calgary took home silver in 2019 after losing 2-0 to UBC.
Players to watch:
- Sterling Kerr, Mount Royal. After ranking first in Canada West for goals against average (0.56) and save percentage (.863) while tying for the lead with seven shoutouts in 2022, the fourth-year goalkeeper was named to the Canada West First Team. He made four saves in MRU’s quarterfinal win against UFV.
- William Omoreniye, Calgary. The first-year defender led Calgary in both goals (four) and assists (three) and was the only Dinos player to score against MRU in the regular season. A Canada West All-Rookie Team selection, Omoreniye scored the winner in last week’s quarterfinal defeat of Thompson Rivers.
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