Esi Lufo. (Image Credit: UNBC Athletics)

By Victor Kaisar

WolfPack Soccer

TRU women sweep, men swept by UNBC in opening weekend of Canada West soccer season

Aug 25, 2025 | 6:01 AM

PRINCE GEORGE — Make it two wins in two games for the Thompson Rivers University (TRU) WolfPack women’s soccer team this season.

Esi Lufo scored the only goal of Sunday’s (Aug. 24) game to lead TRU to a 1-0 win over the UNBC Timberwolves. Lufo’s third goal of the season came just past the hour mark at Masich Place Stadium in Prince George.

It’s the first time ever that the TRU women have started a Canada West season with a 2-0 record. They outshot UNBC 22-9 and had 14 shots on goal to their opponent’s four.

“We knew that UNBC would give us a response after a lopsided scoreline on Friday and credit to them they changed their structure a bit and caused us some problems,” head coach Mark Pennington said.

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“We made some changes at halftime and I thought that new energy changed the game. With a little better finishing from us I thought that win could have been a little bit more comfortable – but we will take a six-point opening weekend.”

Lufo, the third year forward from Albania, has already bettered her two goals from last season in the opening weekend. The program record for most goals in a Canada West season is seven, set by Chantal Gammie in 2018-19.

Rookie TRU goalkeeper Floor Ursem made two saves to begin her Canada West career with back-to-back shutouts. She’s tied the program record for longest shutout streak.

It was a different story for the WolfPack men’s team as they sit 0-2 on the season after yet another 2-1 defeat to UNBC, courtesy another game-winning goal by Jamie Wildash-Chan.

“Game one was two minutes at the end of the first half and today was ten minutes at the start of the second so really it was 15 minutes over the course of two games where we had letdowns,” Head Coach John Antulov said.

“Good teams that have good players are going to punish you when you do that, so we have to figure out how to play smart for 90 minutes.”

Goals from Isaac Tate and Wildash-Chan had UNBC up 2-0 early in the second half before Lachlan Will pulled one back for the visitors. While the WolfPack managed six more shots on net down the stretch, they were unable to beat Logan Pierce in the UNBC goal.

“We started to get our game back after that but by that point it was too late,” Antulov added. “UNBC is sound defensively and hard to break down.”

“I thought we still created chances but we have to find a way to score. We are young but we need some leadership to calm things down when things start to go a little sideways.”

Up next for the TRU WolfPack teams are their home openers this Friday (Aug. 29) against the national champion UBC Thunderbirds. They’ll also play the Victoria Vikes on Saturday at Hillside Stadium,

The women’s games are scheduled to kick off at 5:00 p.m., with the men to follow suit at 7:30 p.m.