Gurmaan Jhaj’s scoring spree on behalf of the University of the Fraser Valley men’s soccer team has earned him an accolade from Canada West.
The fourth-year forward from Aldergrove is the conference’s men’s second star of the week, following a pair of impressive performances on the road.
On Saturday, Jhaj spearheaded a lethal Cascades attack, scoring all three goals in a 3-0 win over the Mount Royal Cougars.
He tied the UFV team record for goals in a game, joining Sasa Plavsic (Oct. 27, 2012 vs. Mount Royal) and Daniel Davidson (Oct. 9, 2015 vs. Trinity Western) as Cascades to score a hat trick in Canada West play.
On Sunday against the U SPORTS No. 8-ranked Alberta Golden Bears, Jhaj once again sparkled. In the 33rd minute, he spotted Alberta keeper Connor James off his line and unleashed an audacious strike from 41 yards out that arced over James’s outstretched fingertips and under the crossbar.
The goal – surely a candidate for goal of the year in U SPORTS – gave UFV a 2-0 lead, but the host Golden Bears were able to rally for a 3-2 victory.
Jhaj now holds a share of the Canada West lead for both goals (six) and points (eight), and he’s helped the Cascades rise to third place in the Pacific Division with a 3-2-1 record.
The UFV side returns home this week for a Friday date with the Saskatchewan Huskies at 8 p.m. at the MRC Sports Complex (see on CanadaWest.tv).