VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds start the playoffs this week with what could be their last home game of the Canada West women's soccer season. They finished third in the regular season, earning the right to host sixth-place Alberta for the conference quarterfinals. The teams were separated by just two points in the standings. The winner will move on to the Canada West Final Four.
The game will be streamed with live statistics on
CanadaWest.tv.
GAME TIME
Saturday, Oct. 27 - No. 10 Alberta at No. 8 UBC (4:30 p.m. at David Sidoo Field at Thunderbird Stadium)
No. 8 UBC Thunderbirds (8-2-2, finished third)
Last Week: L 2-1 at Victoria, W 5-2 vs Fraser Valley
The 'Birds still had a chance to finish second or even first in the table heading into last weekend, but dropping a tough decision to Victoria on the road gave second place to the Vikes, leaving UBC with a crucial game against another playoff-bound team in Fraser Valley to keep home field in the first round of playoffs.
UBC responded to that challenge in a big way, putting up five goals on Fraser Valley to keep third place. A loss would have seen the 'Birds drop to seventh in the standings, setting up a return trip to Victoria for round one.
Taylor Shannik had three goals on the weekend to finish with five on the year. Her emergence as a scoring threat late in the season gives UBC another weapon out of the midfield for opponents to think about while their talented trio of strikers go to work. The forward line of
Janine Frazao, Rachel Sawer and
Taryn Lim combined for 27 goals this season.
It was another solid season at the back for UBC as well, as they gave up well under a goal per game and collected six clean sheets. Although they gave up four goals last weekend, they should be able to regroup behind the leadership of fifth-year All-Canadian back
Kelly Cook and be in top form for the Pandas.
No. 10 Alberta Pandas (7-2-3, finished sixth)
Last Week: W 11-0 vs Winnipeg, W 3-0 vs Manitoba
The Pandas looked like they might be headed for a surprising finish near the top of the table just a few weeks ago. They were the only team in the conference not to lose to either of the top two teams (Trinity Western and Victoria), and after they beat the Spartans in early October they were the last unbeaten Canada West team remaining.
But two straight tough road losses to Saskatchewan and Regina two weeks ago derailed their run up the standings, leaving them facing a road trip to start the playoffs. That could be big, as the Pandas have been an extremely tough side to crack at home this season. Their defence ranked third in the league allowing just seven goals, and six of those were on the road.
The good news is the offence couldn't have been much hotter closing out the regular season. Eight different players found the back of the net in their 11-0 drubbing of Winnipeg, and they followed that up with a solid win over Manitoba, another playoff team.
Despite their results last weekend, most of the Pandas' offence this year has come from just two players. Kayla Michales has 11 goals and Carleigh Miller has eight, making them responsible for more than half Alberta's scoring. No other Panda has more than three goals on the year.
-30-
