SYDNEY, N.S. – The UBC Thunderbirds are again within the U SPORTS semifinals for a second straight 12 months after defeating the No. 2 seed St. Francis Xavier X-Men, 2-1 in quarter-final motion Friday afternoon in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

2023 U SPORTS Player of the Year, Sebastian Dzikowski, scored late within the opening half whereas Luke Norman added what proved to be the sport winner within the 52^nd because the ‘Birds fended off a late surge by the AUS champions and can now face the Université de Montréal Carabins Friday afternoon.

“Thankfully we got the goal right before half because I thought we were deserved of being up at halftime,” stated UBC head coach Mike Mosher following the robust begin to the match. “It was a strong performance. The boys were really up for it and I thought we were full value over the 45, over the 90. I thought it was a really quite a solid performance overall.”

The T-Birds showcased their athleticism and relentless assault early, dominating possession within the opening minutes of the match and preserving play within the X-Men’s half.

St. FX almost discovered the opener within the 17^th minute when Charlie Waters performed a neat ball via to Isaac VanWychen within the field. His shot grazed off Bennett McKay’s outstretched finger suggestions resulting in a nook which additionally proved fruitless.

UBC continued to press and earned a 3rd nook inside the span of just some minutes halfway via the opening 45, however every time the X-Men had been capable of clear the world.

On yet one more T-Birds nook within the 29^th, Brennen Fuerst acquired his head on the ball within the field, sending it simply vast of the far put up.

Perhaps UBC’s finest likelihood within the opening 45 got here within the 36^th minute when Norman chipped the ball over St. FX keeper Samuel Diltz, however Kyle Cordeiro cleared it away only a foot or two earlier than the purpose line.

?? MSOC | The T-Birds take the lead late within the opening half of their @USPORTSca QF! A lovely help by Tomas Pena to Player of the Year Sebastian Dzikowski and a giant carry for UBC going into the break #GoBirdsGo

?? https://t.co/kdrCrt7Lx3 pic.twitter.com/OTNzRz6MTk

— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) November 9, 2023

Moments earlier than the halftime whistle, the T-Birds had been lastly rewarded for his or her dominant play when Dzikowski completed with a low shot off his proper foot, slipping the ball between Diltz and the put up. Tomas Pena arrange the sport opening purpose with a stupendous help, deftly taking part in the ball to the highest of the six-yard field.

The X-Men carried play within the opening moments from the re-start but it surely was the T-Birds who transformed on their first alternative to double their lead. Dzikowski performed the ball from close to the sideline to Logan Chung who in flip performed it again to Norman. The rookie midfielder then used his left foot to position the ball previous Diltz, contained in the left put up.

“That was a terrific goal, that’s goal of the year material right there,” stated an impressed Mosher. “They pressured us, we went out one way around, out the other way and then combined right through them from our penalty area to their penalty area. The number of passes on that sequence…what a goal.”

?? MSOC | Make it a 2-0 UBC lead early within the 2nd half! Luke Norman finishes within the 52nd for a giant benefit within the @USPORTSca quarter-final! #GoBirdsGo pic.twitter.com/D0kmML35an

— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) November 9, 2023

Dzikowski almost scored his second of the sport within the 73^rd when he drilled a detailed vary shot which Diltz managed to get in entrance of whereas the rebound was despatched simply vast by Brandon Momotani who performed a extremely efficient 21 minutes off the bench.

“(Momotani) really did a great job coming in off the bench and applying pressure and then himself finding the ball, connecting passes, driving on the dribble to get into the other half too. That was a key player coming in for us.”

Just moments later, the sport took on a brand new tone because the X-Men acquired themselves on the board because of a wonderfully redirected header by Lewis Dye off a Waters nook.

The purpose definitely gave some life to the X-Men however the T-Birds fended off every ensuing assault with some expert defensive play by the likes of Chris Lee and Eric Lajeunesse.

McKay made a pair of saves to safe the win for UBC who will now face a Carabins aspect which superior previous the Carleton Ravens on penalty kicks.

Friday’s assembly with the Carabins is a rematch of final 12 months’s U SPORTS semifinal during which the T-Birds superior to the gold medal recreation with a 2-0 win.

“They’re here pretty much every year, we’ve been here on a very consistent basis and we’ve seen each other several times now. They’re a good team, I think they’re a very similar team to what we saw last year in Kamloops and we’ll have to be up for it because they’re good. They have some really good players, they’re really well organized and they ask questions of you. We’ve got 24 hours here to get ourselves ready to go.”

Kickoff Friday is ready for 12:00 p.m. PT at Cape Breton University’s Ness Timmons Field. The recreation will likely be obtainable reside on CBC Gem or CBC Sports’ YouTube channel.