WolfPack Men's and Women's Soccer ready for Home Opener
- Gameday Kamloops
- Aug 27
- 2 min read
The TRU WolfPack men’s and women’s soccer teams return to Hillside Stadium this weekend for their home openers, each with something to prove after contrasting starts to the Canada West season.
The women’s side couldn’t have asked for a better beginning. A dominant 5–0 win over UNBC in their season opener, followed by a gritty 1–0 win to complete a perfect road sweep. Forward Esi Lufo, who earned Canada West Player of the Week recognition for her efforts, scored three goals in the opening two matches and has quickly established herself as the spark for TRU’s attack.
“It feels amazing,” Lufo said. “Starting the season on a strong note gives me and the team a lot of confidence. We’ve been working hard in training, so to see that effort translate into results is really rewarding. From what I’ve seen so far, we definitely have the talent, the chemistry, and the work ethic to compete for a playoff spot. If we keep this momentum and stay focused, I believe we can make a strong run.”
Newcomers also made their mark, with Sara Kuusimäki, Nat Seiz, and Laila Rafou all scoring in their debuts. Goalkeeper Floor Ursem earned back-to-back clean sheets, giving the WolfPack early defensive stability as they prepare to host two of the nation’s toughest programs in UBC and UVic.
On the men’s side, the opening weekend brought a tougher test. TRU dropped both matches to UNBC by 2–1 scorelines, showing flashes of quality but struggling to maintain full-match consistency. Head coach John Antulov acknowledged the challenge but pointed to positives in his young squad.
“Last weekend was a tough start obviously, but we are a young squad and their is a lot of potential here, playing against the reigning USports Champion (UBC) in our home opener is going to be difficult, and Victoria is one of the best teams in the Nation, so it will be a test ” Antulov said.
Some First Year's to keep an eye on are Amir Ghasemi, Ben Finley, Kaleb Voth, and Lewis Crompton.
Both WolfPack teams will look to feed off the energy of the home crowd as Hillside Stadium comes alive Friday and Saturday night. The women open play each evening at 5:00 p.m. against UBC and the University of Victoria, followed by the men’s matches at 7:30 p.m.
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