CALGARY- The University of Lethbridge Pronghorns and the University of Victoria Vikes battled through 120 minutes of play locked at 1–1 during the Canada West men's soccer quarter-final at MRU Field #2 on Friday evening, before the Vikes prevailed in a shootout to defeat the Pronghorns.
Lethbridge started confidently, pressing early and earning multiple corners through the opening 15 minutes. Will Hughes was active on the left side, delivering quality service and keeping the Vikes' back line under pressure. The Horns' first clear chance came in the fifth minute when Bronson Schlichter headed narrowly wide from a Hughes cross.
The Pronghorns' persistence paid off in the 26th minute, when Kai Sakaguchi opened the scoring. After a composed buildup, Hughes found Sakaguchi near the top of the box, and the forward calmly placed his shot into the bottom corner past Victoria goalkeeper Callum Weir for a 1–0 lead.
Lethbridge continued to press following the goal, with Karim Bey forcing a sharp save from Weir in the 32nd minute. Victoria began to settle late in the half and pushed for an equalizer. Matthew Pearse tested Tegan Romaine in the 40th minute, but the Pronghorn keeper reacted well to preserve the lead.
At halftime, Lethbridge held a 1–0 advantage, along with an 8–4 edge in corners. Romaine made two key saves to maintain the lead as the Pronghorns looked to manage the match from the front. Victoria responded strongly out of the break, increasing pressure and controlling more possession. Their breakthrough came in the 60th minute, when Aiden Grew capitalized on a scramble following a Yassin Guitouni corner. Grew pounced on the loose ball inside the six-yard box and slotted home to tie the game 1–1.
The goal shifted momentum, and the Vikes spent much of the next 15 minutes in Lethbridge's half. Romaine made another key save on Grew in the 68th minute to keep the match level, while the Horns defended well under sustained pressure. Lethbridge gradually regained composure, using Hughes' service from the wings and Sakaguchi's movement up front to relieve pressure and create half-chances on the counter. In the 72nd minute, Sakaguchi forced Weir into a low save, but Victoria's back line stayed organized and denied follow-up efforts.
The final 20 minutes saw an increase in physical play as both teams battled for control. Victoria picked up three yellow cards—to Matteo Hilton (53'), Guitouni (83'), and Grew (89')—as intensity grew.The Horns continued to threaten from set pieces, earning 13 corners overall. In the 89th minute, a Hughes delivery found Ethan Smith at the back post, but his attempt was blocked by the Vikes' defence. Victoria nearly stole the lead moments earlier when Ole Cameron unleashed a curling shot bound for the top corner, only for Romaine to make a highlight-reel diving save to push it over the bar.
In the final minutes of regulation, both teams managed their energy and structure carefully, aware that one mistake could end their season. Romaine claimed two late corners confidently to ensure the 1–1 scoreline stood after 90 minutes. With the teams still tied after regulation, the match moved into overtime to determine who advances to the Canada West semifinal.
It was an evenly matched overtime, with the play moving back and forth consistently for the whole 30 minutes. Both teams had ample opportunities to end the game at overtime, with the Vikes adding six shots to their scoresheet and the Horns adding three, however none were successful and the teams were stuck at ones.
After 90 minutes of regulation and two tense overtime periods, the Pronghorns' postseason run came to an end with a 2-1 defeat to the Victoria Vikes after going to penalty kicks. The Pronghorns subbed Owen Shum into net to defend the shots against Pearse, Guitouni, Archie Tugwell, and Moody but was unsuccessful as Weir stood tall in net and stopped shots from Hughes and Sakaguchi. Ben Gingrass was the lone scorer for the Pronghorns but it was notenough to save them from the defeat.
Moody's mindset was not under stress heading into penalty kicks giving props to his goalkeeper, "Callum Weir is the best keeper in the league, hands down. There's nothing I can really say except that he's just unbelievable. Like, I'm so confident as a defender having him in my back." Heading into the semi final game on Sunday Moody adds, "big, big shift. Rest up, obviously 120 minutes is a lot of minutes. I remember MRU from before, I think we owe them a good game."
The Vikes move forward to the Canada West Semi-Final against the Mount Royal Cougars, Sunday at 1:00 p.m. on Stadium Field. Catch all the action live or on Canada West TV.
