Lufo’s brace helps WolfPack women knock off Spartans; TRU men still winless through six games

As pretty as that goal was, Lufo’s second – in the 82nd minute – came from a shot she fired from 25-yards out that went off the post and in. It held up as the game winner as the Spatans struck late though Holland Stiel.

Lufo is second in scoring with five goals from six games. She needs two more goals to match Chantal Gammie’s WolfPack record for most goals in a Canada West season. Gammie scored seven in the 2018-19 season.

With eight goals to her name, Lufo needs just three more to match Kamloopsian Ainsley Grether’s all-time goalscoring record of 11 set between 2019 and 2025.

“It was a tough night but we worked hard on the field with a complete team effort to get the win,” Lufo said post-game. “I love this team, you can see it on the field the effort that we put in for each other. I’m really proud.”

While the Albanian will get the headlines, the entire WolfPack backline was also solid Saturday as they kept the Spartans quiet for much of the night. Goalkeeper Floor Ursem was also minutes away from her fourth clean sheet of the season.

“The back four were spectacular. I thought Paige Dwane was unbelievably solid, Sara Kuusimaki was at a different level, Alexis Virgo and Allie Shiyuk were great,” WolfPack Head Coach Mark Pennington said.

“They are playing against some top players and I’m really proud of how resilient they were and how well they played against some great players.”

He also said the WolfPack were deserving winners especially against a nationally ranked team.

“We bent a bit in the second half but we didn’t break,” Pennington added. “I couldn’t be more proud of the girls and the effort and energy they’ve put in all weekend but especially today, it was top class.”

Men’s Struggles Continue

Elsewhere in Canada West action, the struggles continue for the TRU men’s team, as they were beaten 3-0 by the Spartans in Langley.

After a scoreless first half, the Spartans struck twice though Emmanuel Dan-Adokiene, one of which was from the penalty spot. Jace Wiebe added a third with about 20 minutes left to play as the Spartans improved to 2-3-1.

The WolfPack are still winless at 0-6 and they sit in the basement of the Pacific Division.

“I think our first half was probably one of our best halves of the season so far, the guys came out strong and I was really happy,” WolfPack Head Coach John Antulov said. “Then it was the same thing, we made a couple mistakes, got beat in transition and the next thing you know we are chasing the game again.”

“I was really happy with the overall effort but we have to figure out how to play a clean game for 90 minutes. We have to be mentally stronger and just make proper decisions on the field. We’ve got a good squad and have shown we can play.”

The TRU men will hope to get into the win column with a pair of games against Alberta teams at Hillside Stadium this weekend. They’ll host the Lethbridge Pronghorns on Friday (Sept. 12) and the Calgary Dinos on Saturday.

The WolfPack women will hit the road for a rare single game weekend. They’ll face the UBC Thunderbirds in Vancouver on Saturday evening.

by Victor Kaisar

Lufo’s brace helps WolfPack women knock off Spartans; TRU men still winless through six games

Men’s Struggles Continue

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