This team ranks with the best among UBC's Canadian soccer champions with an overall season record of 11-0-2. Its 33 goals for and 3 against featured ten shutouts, nine recorded by goalie Brian Kennedy – one of four from this team to play professional soccer. The 'Birds outscored their opposition 7-0 in the national CIAU (CIS) championships winning a third straight national title, the first for coach Dick Mosher.
Team Members: Mike Allina, Mike Malana, Alex Percy, Steve Burns, Andrew Mardon, Joe Pesht, Kevin Colbow, Gary Mordecai, Brian Petersen, John Gasparac, Ken Moysiuk, Kevin Reilly, Byron Gayfer, Ken Mullany, Gregor Young, Brian Kennedy, David Partridge. Trainer: Heather Pickering, Coach: Dick Mosher.
UBC Thunderbirds, defending Canadian champions, began their 1986/87 season with a 3-0 victory over Saskatchewan and a 1–0 win over Alberta, both victories on the road. This was a sign of things to come as UBC using set plays and with perhaps the best goalie in university soccer in Brian Kennedy, followed with a 1–0 victory over the University of Victoria and then moved to 5–0 with 2–0 and 7–0 wins over the Universities of Calgary and Lethbridge.
First year coach Dick Mosher who had succeeded 25 year "legend" Joe Johnson as 'Birds head coach, stressed defense and felt to this point ". . . the heart of the victories are the back wall led by Gregor Young." Mosher continued, "We like to play the ball on the ground and use it a little more."
Despite losing three players to the national club championships, UBC won again on the prairies, 3–0 over Lethbridge with Brian Petersen in goal and 2–1 over Calgary – the first goal scored against the Blue & Gold in seven games.
It was now time for the Diachem Bowl, the cross-town soccer rivalry which saw Simon Fraser University (5th ranked in the U.S. N.A.I.A. with an 8–2 record) face undefeated UBC for local if not national bragging rights. The final score: 0–0. Coach Mosher pointed out however that UBC was without its top scorer and that UBC outshot SFU by a ratio of 5 to 1, carrying much of the play.
UBC kept right on rolling boosting its overall record to 9–0 –1 with a 3–1 victory over Saskatchewan and a 3–0 win over Alberta. This last game was the three-time All- Canadian Kennedy's 7th shutout in 8 games and the team's 8th shutout in 10 games. T-Bird Ken Mullany moved to the top of Canada West scoring with teammate Kevin Allina second. The 'Birds had now clinched first place in Canada West with their 9–0 league record.
UBC's final league game was a 1–1 tie with arch-rival Victoria on UBC's O.J. Todd Field. "Everybody on this team contributes to the defense. The players . . . don't give anything away. Eventually they just wear the other team down," said assistant coach Dave Partridge. The 'Birds 26 goals for and 3 goals against in league play proved that.
"UBC soccer Birds take Toronto" shouted the front-page headline of the November 18, 1986 Ubyssey. For Coach Mosher this national championship victory was a personal highlite; "This is the first one and its just super. There's nothing like it." UBC had defeated McGill 3–0 in the national semi-final while the University of Toronto edged New Brunswick 3–2. In the final against Toronto, UBC's Alex Percy scored the first goal after goalie Kennedy had held UBC in the game. From that point UBC began to dominate play more and more and by game's end were in total control, winning 4–0.
This was for UBC its third consecutive national title with Canada West Coach of the Year Dick Mosher pronouncing "The whole team is mentally tough . . . I've never seen more of a team victory."
Brian Kennedy and John Gasparac were named to the 86/87 eleven-man First All-Canadian team, Alex Percy was named National Championship MVP while Kennedy was selected the 86/87 Bobby Gaul Award winner – UBC's most prestigious athletic award. Also, four of this team's players went on to play in the CSL (Canadian Soccer League) including Stephen Burns and Gregor Young who captured CSL titles with the Vancouver 86'ers.
UBC has been crowned national soccer champions many times, and they have all been great teams, but this team's over-all record of 11–0–2 with 33 goals for and 3 against, has to rank with the best.
Researched and written by Fred Hume, UBC Athletics Historian
