VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds had a great season last year, capping it off with their record 12th McCrae Cup win as national champions. In fact it was such a great year that a few T-Birds attracted the attention of the Canadian national team, which put head coach Hash Kanjee in a unique and difficult situation for the 2010 campaign. The 2009 CIS championship MVP
Robyn Pendleton, CIS Rookie of the Year
Abigail Raye, and incoming transfer Kate Gillis were all unavailable for the entire 2010 season as they competed at the Commonwealth Games in India.
With more than half of the T-Birds roster made up of rookies and some of the team's top talent unavailable, Kanjee needed a new group of players to step up as leaders and top contributors, and that's exactly what he got as UBC claimed their eighth straight Canada West title in 2010. Fourth-year midfielder
Sarah MacAulay earned the Canada West MVP award for leading the 'Birds to a 9-1-2 record, which is one loss less than last year's squad had in the regular season before eventually winning the national championship.
“I'm really happy for Sarah. I think she was missed by the award selectors last year because she had an amazing year, so this is great,” said Kanjee. “She didn't back away or feel sour grapes, she just came out this year and did what she does really well, and I'm really happy she was recognized for it. She's a battler and she leads by example. She is tenacious and very tough, with great skills. She gives us stability and confidence on the right side that just helps us so much.”
Victoria Pearson had a big year for the T-Birds as well, made even more impressive by the fact that she missed the entire 2009 season with a knee injury. She bounced back to lead the team and the Canada West conference with eight goals this year, showing a knack for finding the back of the net at key times with three game-winners and two that salvaged ties for her side.
“She had a fantastic year and she gave us a lot of goals when we needed them, and today was another example of that,” said Kanjee after Pearson's game-winning goal in UBC's final regular season game against the Victoria Vikes.
Speaking of the Vikes, the 'Birds put on quite a show this year when they went head-to-head against their biggest rivals. The two sides combined for 14 goals in their four meetings this season, with the T-Birds coming out on top by posting a 2-1-1 record against Victoria.
Winning the season series against the Vikes was an important achievement for the 'Birds, as Victoria has been easily the top challenger to UBC's dominance of the Canada West conference over the past eight years, and that rivalry has carried over to the national stage as well. The 'Birds and Vikes have met six times at the CIS tournament since 2006, with Victoria holding a slight advantage in the series at two wins, a loss and three ties. When they meet again this year in Guelph, it will be the fifth straight season where both teams qualified for the CIS tournament.
On a team full of talented first-year players,
Natalie Sourisseau emerged as the cream of the crop, finishing second in team scoring with four goals and taking home the Canada West Rookie of the Year award.
“At the start of the season we weren't sure where to play her but she is a hard-working kid with great skills and they will continue to improve with time,” said Kanjee. “She is young and she has things we want to improve, but she has the basic skills and foundation that we can work on and set her off on a great field hockey career.”
Sourisseau was also named a Canada West All-Star, along with MacAulay and fourth-year defender Kristen Bertsch.
Goalkeeper
Bea Francisco, another rookie, surprised the conference by winning the the Goalkeeper of the Year award amid stiff competition, beating out two third-year keepers for Alberta and Calgary as well as Victoria's fourth-year netminder. Francisco's nine goals against were three fewer than any other goalkeeper in the conference, and her six shutouts were also unmatched in the league.
With elite talent scattered across all positions and experience levels, the T-Birds proved they have what it takes to continue their winning tradition even without some key pieces, taking home another title and several awards at the conference level. Now their attention is focused on repeating that success at the national level and adding a 13th McCrae cup to their collection.
