VANCOUVER – After a perfect season-opening road trip, the No. 1 UBC Thunderbirds will play their first two home games of the Canada West men's soccer campaign this weekend against the University of Northern BC Timberwolves in Vancouver. UBC has welcomed eight newcomers to the main squad, and they bring a wide range of experience to a Thunderbirds team that has won the last two CIS national championships. The newest T-Birds will make their regular season home debut this weekend.
 
"I'm very happy with the new players we have added to our roster this year," said UBC head coach Mike Mosher. "I think we have really bolstered our depth from last year and we have strong competition for all the spots on the field, which makes for a good training environment. I envision several of the newcomers to be regular starters through the season and then with some of the young incoming guys, we will have solid five-year players, who I believe will emerge to become all stars in this league."

JULES CHOPIN (6'0 midfielder | Kaslo, BC)
Jules Chopin makes the move across town to UBC after spending two seasons at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby. A 6-foot midfielder, he scored three goals and added an assists in 18 games last season for SFU.
 
"UBC is an outstanding university, it has an excellent soccer program and is great academically, the combination of the two are a great fit," said Chopin, who is originally from the West Kootenay village of Kaslo.
 
In his rookie season at SFU, Chopin came off the bench to play in seven games. He developed in the Coquitlam Metro Ford program as a youth player after moving to the Lower Mainland.
 
"As a team winning the national title is the objective," said Chopin. "Personally, my goal is to be an integral part of this team."
 
MARK COTTRELL (5'11 defender | Victoria, BC)
Mark Cottrell is a Victoria native who transferred to UBC after two years at Peninsula Community College in Port Angeles, Wash.
 
The 5-11 defender helped the Pirates to back-to-back Northwest Athletic Association Community College titles in 2012 and 2013. He was an NWAACC all-star in his second season and an all-region player as a rookie. He served as the team captain for both years at PCC.
 
Cottrell is a graduate of Belmont Secondary School. He played for Victoria United in the Pacific Coast Soccer League and won a league title as a member of the club's Under-21 squad.
 
HAN SOL KIM (5'10 forward | Seoul, South Korea)
Han Sol Kim is a 5-foot-10 forward originally from the South Korean capital of Seoul. As a teenager, he moved to India to attend Kodaikanal International School, where he continued to develop his skills as a player while competing for the school team. During summers, he travelled back to South Korea for further training.

He is in his third year of schooling in UBC's School of Kinesiology. Last season, he played for Westside FC of the Vancouver Metro Soccer League. The year before, he suited up for Rino's Vancouver Soccer Club, also of the VMSL.

"I look forward to having a great season with UBC," said Kim. "It really means a lot to be a part of the best university team in Canada."
 
KARN PHAGURA (6'1 midfielder | Surrey, BC)
Karn Phagura is one of the three players from the Surrey United club program to join UBC for the upcoming season. He figured prominently in the Surrey United Firefighters' second-place finish at The Challenge Trophy, the national senior amateur championship tournament.
 
The youngster scored the winning penalty kick in the semifinals to send the Firefighters to the title match.
 
"I chose UBC because it gives me the best balance of everything I was looking for in a school," said Phagura. "In regards to the soccer program, I couldn't ask for much more as UBC has proven it's excellence being back-to-back national champions. Academically, UBC has some of the best programs in the country, not to mention one of the most beautiful campuses in Canada."
 
In 2012, he was selected to join the National Training Centre, which provides training for Canada's elite young soccer players.
 
CHRIS SERBAN (5'10 defender | Calgary, AB)
Chris Serban is a graduate of the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency Program. The 5-9 defender joined the program in February 2014 after playing for the Calgary Chinooks.
 
He appeared in 15 matches for the Whitecaps Under-18 squad after arriving in Vancouver, scoring once, in in the team's final playoff outing in June.
 
Serban then became the starting right back for the Whitecaps U-23 Premier Development League team, competing and showing well against older players. With the U23's, Serban was teammates with current T-Birds Niall Cousens and Harry Lakhan as well as UBC alumnus Reynold Stewart.
 
He was born in Romania and has returned to Europe numerous times over the past decade to train with clubs such as CFR Cluj of Romania, Spain's Valencia and Germany's Fortuna Dusseldorf.
 
BORIS SI (5'4 midfielder | Vancouver, BC)
A 5-4 midfielder, Boris Si spent the last two years with the Citizen Athletic Association, which competes in the Hong Kong First Division League.
 
As a youth player, he honed his skills with Coquitlam Metro Ford before moving to Fusion FC of the BC Soccer Premier League.
 
Si is a graduate of Vancouver's Magee Secondary School.
 
KYLE SOHI (5'8 forward | Delta, BC)
Kyle Sohi, a 5-foot-8 forward, is one of the best recruits in the country and was honoured in The Province newspaper's Head of the Class section as one of the top two players in BC.
 
"My decision to attend UBC was easy; it has the top university soccer program in the country and academically, is one of the best universities in the world," said Sohi.
 
The graduate of North Delta Secondary School was on the Surrey United Firefighters team that made the Challenge Trophy national club championship final in the fall. In 2012, Sohi helped Surrey United win the Canadian Soccer Association National Championships U-16 Cup in Charlottetown, P.E.I.
 
"My goals for the upcoming season at UBC are to make an immediate impact and earn a spot on the starting team as well as win Rookie of the Year honours," said Sohi. "While at UBC, I want to complete my science degree and get into its medical school."
  
TRISTAN WALLIS-MAYER (5'9 defender | West Vancouver, BC)
Tristan Wallis-Mayer of North Vancouver is one of two players who moved from Simon Fraser University to UBC for the 2014 season, which will be his second year of eligiblity.
 
The 5-9 defender was a redshirt with SFU last season.
 
Wallis-Mayer played with West Vancouver FC in the Vancouver Metro Soccer League's Premier Division, winning the 2011 Imperial Cup. He was also a member of the Under-16 BC Provincial Team and the Canadian Soccer Association National Training Centre.
 
There are also five newcomers who will redshirt this season for UBC:
Connor Guilherme, a 6-foot defender from Unionville, Ont.
Zach Karmel, a 5-10 midfielder from Gibsons, B.C.
Michael Mauro, a 5-10 forward from West Vancouver.
Jason Roberts, a 6-1 goalkeeper from Richmond, B.C.
Bhavraj Saran, a 5-9 defender from Surrey.
 
The UBC men will play UNBC on Saturday at Varsity Field and Sunday at Thunderbird Stadium. Both games will kick off at 2 p.m. UNBC owns a 1-1 record after splitting with UBC Okanagan last weekend.