Sports posted Sep 4, 2017 @ 08:32am by By KelownaNow Staff

Late goal gives UBCO men first soccer win of the season

<who>Photo Credit/Cover Design: Lorne White/KelownaNow </who>

Hamish Walde scored the only goal of the game in the final minute of stoppage time to earn the host UBC Okanagan Heat a 1-0 Canada West men’s soccer victory over the University of Victoria Vikes on Sunday.

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The third-year centre back from Salt Spring Island right-footed home the ball after a Nikhil Reddy free kick had bounced around the UVic box at Nonis Sports Fields.

<who>Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNow </who>Juan Pinos, left, of the UBCO Heat was selected as the home team's player of the game on Sunday vs UVic. The Heat improved to 1-1 on the young U Sports season, having dropped a 2-1 decision to the UBC Thunderbirds on Saturday at UBCO.

While the home team had the upper hand in the fast-paced and entertaining first half, neither squad could find the finishing touch against the solid goaltending of Mitch McCaw (Calgary) in the Heat net and Vikes’ Maxwell Branyik-Gil.

<who>Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNow </who>Third-year defender, Shaun Pilcher, heads the ball out of harm's way while airborne teammate, Sam McDonald (Okanagan Mission SS), looks on. McCaw’s best save came on a close-range header that he punched away while Branyik-Gill stymied the Heat’s Cole Kingzett of Penticton twice on two glorious opportunities.

The Vikes (0-3-1) had two quality chances in the second half, including a header off the crossbar and a sharp-angled shot by the speedy Isaac Koch, a graduate of Mt Boucherie Secondary School in West Kelowna.

<who>Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNow </who>Kelowna's Sam McDonald of UBCO heads the ball in front of the UVic net in the first half of the Heat's 1-0 win. Koch was selected as the visiting team’s player of the game while rookie forward Juan Pinos (Quito, Ecuador), who created several chances early in the game, claimed the honor for the Heat.

Sunday’s match marked the fourth time in the past two seasons the Heat scored in the final five minutes to earn a victory at home.

<who>Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNow </who>The Heat's Taylor Piche (Kelowna Secondary), right, battles for a loose ball with UVic's Nick Pineda Graham. UBCO finished with 10 shots on target on 11 attempts, while the Vikes managed 17 attempts, with 10 shots finding the mark. The win also marks the third straight victory for the Heat against the side from Victoria, as UBCO prevailed in both games last season.

The Heat will hit the road for the first time this season when they travel to play the UFV Cascades in Abbotsford on Sept. 8. They’ll take on the Trinity Western Spartans on Sept. 9.

<who>Photo Credit: Lorne White/KelownaNow </who>Hamish Walde, right, scored the lone goal of the game in the Heat's 1-0 victory on Sunday.

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