Luke Norman scored the only goal of the game to land the UBC Thunderbirds the bronze medal, defeating the Mount Royal Cougars 1-0 in the battle for third place of the 2023 U SPORTS men's soccer championships in Sydney, N.S. on Sunday morning.
The Thunderbirds got their revenge over the Cougars in this rematch of the Canada West championships, having lost 1-0 the last time around. The first half was all UBC, taking 10 shots in the first 45 minutes. Their goal came in the 27th minute when Markus Kaiser deflected a Mount Royal clearing attempt right to Luke Norman, who beat Cougars 'keeper Aidan Dumoulin from the top of the penalty box. Bennett McKay made five saves for UBC.
Mount Royal came out in the second half searching hard for an equalizer, with seven shots and three corner kicks in the final 45 minutes, but they just could not capitalize on their opportunities. The Cougars had a great chance in the 74thminute with a header by Finn Marshall off a cross that got behind the defence, but McKay was there to make the save.
The 2023 U SPORTS men's soccer championships will wrap up with the gold medal game at 2 p.m. (Atlantic) today between the Montréal Carabins and the Cape Breton Capers.
Nike Team players of the game:
- UBC: Markus Kaiser
- Mount Royal: Aidan Dumoulin