Saturday night in Kamloops, the UNBC Timberwolves wrapped up their 2024 Canada West season with a 3-1 setback to the TRU WolfPack. With the score tied 1-1 late in the second half, Abdel Coulibaly scored in the waning minutes to give TRU their second victory of the season, matching the TWolves record through 16 games. Adam Korduner had the lone goal for UNBC – his first in Canada West which came in the 83rd minute.
The UNBC starting lineup looked quite different on Saturday as Steve Simonson made four changes. Yanni Ntapas got his second start of the season in goal, while Matteo Cuzzetto, Charlie Stewart and Anton Zadonsky also drew into the starting 11 in place of Connor Lewis (suspension), Trevor Scott, Mehdi Bounaaja and Logan Pierce.
The first half was scoreless as each team managed just one shot on target apiece.
For UNBC, their lone shot on target in the first came in the 26th minute off the boot of Luke Graham, while TRU countered with a shot in the 29th minute from Ranjeet Brar.
After halftime, Simonson made three changes. Scott, Bounaaja and Adam Korduner took the field while Cuzzetto, Zadonsky and Stewart were removed.
The WolfPack got on the board in the 55th minute when Jonathan Rinaldi and Marcus D’Andrea combined for a bar-down finish. From midfield, D’Andrea bent a left-footed volley over the UNBC defense to the outer line of the penalty area. From there, Rinaldi took the pass off a bounce and smashed home his second of the season, over the head of Ntapas and underneath the crossbar.
True to form though, the young Timberwolves weren’t about to fade quietly. Fittingly, it was Adam Korduner, the third-year defender, whose play truly seemed to elevate with every passing game that he took the field in 2024, who raced down the right wing and crossed the ball into the box. His cross deflected off a TRU player and into the goal for his first Canada West goal!
Korduner. Became the fifth Timberwolf to bag his first career Canada West goal in 2024, joining Luke Graham, Mehdi Bounaaja, James Jordan and Hagon Kim.
Unfortunately for the visitors, the WolfPack had two more late strikes up their sleeve – both of which were from Abdel Coulibaly. The first came in the 86th minute, and the next one in the 90th – right when the Timberwolves were ‘all in’ on offense.
3-1 would stand as the final score as TRU finished the night with a 6-4 edge in shots on target.
With the loss, the TWolves 2024 season comes to an end with a record of 2-12-2 – An identical mark to TRU.
While the loss may sting temporarily, it’s hard not focus on the bigger picture and the obvious growth and excitement that is brewing within the UNBC Men’s Soccer program.
Logan Pierce, in his first true season of Canada West competition, showed that he belongs in the conversation with the best goalkeepers in the conference and country.
Isaac Tate has reached the 10-point mark for his career in just his second season. The sky is truly the limit for the talented Victoria midfielder who did something to dazzle the crowd every single game he played in 2024.
Hagon Kim was consistent, versatile, and outright talented.
Luke Graham, Mehdi Bounaaja, James Jordan, Hagon Kim and Adam Korduner all scored their first career Canada West goals during the season.
Let’s not forget Connor Lewis – the hometown product and captain, who finished the season with a season-high four goals. As the only soon-to-be graduate, he helped maintain a solid standard and culture that this young crop of Timberwolves is going to remember and learn from in the years to come.
With Steve Simonson and Francesco Bartolillo at the helm, this program remains in phenomenal hands, and we look forward to seeing what the 2025 version of the UNBC Men’s Soccer program can do.