They were able to overcome a slow start against a winless opponent Saturday.
But the Kwantlen Eagles men’s soccer team couldn’t do it again Sunday afternoon at Newton Athletic Park.
Kwantlen fell 3-1 to the Thompson Rivers University (TRU) Wolfpack, a result that left the Eagles tied for third place with the Langara Falcons, and just two points up on the fifth-place Wolfpack in a three-team race for the final two playoff positions.
Sunday’s game was a must-win for TRU, and the visitors were on the attack for much of the first half. The Eagles kept the game scoreless until just minutes before half time, when the Wolfpack took the lead.
TRU made it 2-0 just 10 minutes after the break, then Kwantlen dominated play for the next half hour. The Eagles got a break in the 65th minute, when Peter Keo was fouled in the penalty area, and Murtada Almatrood converted from the spot.
The Wolfpack scored again on a penalty of their own late in the game.
Saturday against the UBC Okanagan Heat, Kwantlen conceded a goal just before half time, but pulled even before the break on a goal by Kamal Gill of North Delta.
Marco Teodoro da Silva scored from the edge of the 18-yard box to put the Eagles in front, and Jake Starheim of North Delta upped the count to 3-1 with 30 minutes to play.
The Heat got one back in the 80th minute, but the Eagles hung on for the win.
Now at 4-4-2 (won-tied-lost), Kwantlen will host the 7-3-0 Vancouver Island Mariners Saturday, and the 2-3-5 Capilano Blues Sunday. Both games kickoff at 2 p.m. at Newton Athletic Park.
Against opposition from TRU and UBC-Okanagan, the Kwantlen Eagles women’s team lost twice in one weekend for the first time this season, and dropped from third place to fifth, one position out of the playoffs.
For 89 minutes of Saturday’s game against the Heat, it appeared the Eagles would earn at least one point as the game remained scoreless.
But a scramble off a corner kick led to the only goal of the game with a minute to play, breaking a shutout bid by Eagles goalie Sukhleen Gill in a 1-0 loss.
Kicking off against the first-place Wolfpack Sunday, Kwantlen played the league leaders even for the first 45 minutes, but trailed 1-0 at the break.
TRU held on for the first half hour of the second half, then scored twice in the final 10 minutes for a 3-0 victory.
Kwantlen, which was alone in third place before the weekend, fell five points back of the third-place Heat and are now two points back of the fourth-place Quest Kermodes with four games to play.
The Kwantlen women also host Vancouver Island (2-4-4) and Capilano (1-3-6) next weekend in their final two home games of the season. both games are at noon at Newton Athletic Park.