MONTREAL – It was business as usual for the UBC women's soccer team on Day 1 of the CIS championship hosted at McGill University's Molson Stadium.

All-Canadian striker Ros Hicks (North Vancouver) scored a key goal and set up two others as the defending national champion T-Birds blanked the Atlantic champion UCCB Capers (Cape Breton) 4-0 in the tournament's opening game. The victory extended UBC's undefeated streak to 14 games (13-0-1) and marked the club's seventh straight shutout and 13th in 14 games.

UBC can now advance to Sunday's national final with a win over Laval, the third team in Pool "A", Friday at 9 a.m. PST. A loss or a tie against the Rouge et Or would leave UBC scoreboard watching on Saturday.

"We didn't play a perfect game by any means," said Hicks, who made it 3-0 with a rebound goal in first-half injury time, just seconds after setting up midfielder Keiko Read (Maple Ridge) for the 2-0 goal, "but that's expected when it's your first game on a new surface against a team you know nothing about.

"We're happy with the result and we know what needs to be fixed for our next game."

Hicks found herself all alone in front of the UCCB goal for an easy put back after fullback Amber Brownlee (Kelowna) froze the defence with a 25-yard floater that dipped off the crossbar and settled in front of the net. The goal came right after Read ripped one just inside the left post from about 15 yards out, and the two late strikes deflated a Capers squad that held their own for much of the first half.

"[The two quick goals] were huge," said UBC head coach Dick Mosher. "They gave us some breathing room heading into the locker room."

Hicks then set up Bronwyn Hunt (Vancouver) at the top of the box five minutes into the second half and the substitute midfielder drove it home to close out the scoring. Second-year midfielder Anja Sigloch (Kamloops) opened the scoring with the game just four minutes old, banging home a loose ball after Sarah Nannery (North Vancouver) headed a Heather Smith (New Westminster) corner kick off the crossbar.

Second-year keeper Kelly McNabney (Pickering, Ont.) was solid in net for her 12th shutout over-all and 11th in her last 12 games but needed some luck too. UCCB's Joanne Delahunt had a glorious chance to tie the game 1-1 in the 23rd minute after McNabney was forced well out of the goal to make a save but Delahunt's rebound attempt was stopped near the line by UBC defender Candace Lovestad (Nanaimo). The all-Canadian Capers striker almost put a mark on McNabney's clean sheet with eight minutes remaining, firing a rocket off the crossbar from the top of the box.

NOTES: Hicks was named the player of the game … UBC attempted 31 shots, while UCCB managed to get off 11 … The T-Birds fired 12 shots on net to seven for the Capers … UBC earned five corners to two for UCCB … Eight fouls were called in total with no cards handed out.