VANCOUVER – The No. 7-ranked UBC Thunderbirds men's soccer team (0-0-1) are set to head out on the road to take on two BC rivals this weekend. The T-Birds will first face the Fraser Valley Cascades (1-1-0) on Friday, September 18 at Abbotsford Senior Secondary, with kick off slated for 7:30 p.m. (PT). On Saturday, September 19, UBC will challenge the Trinity Western Spartans (2-0-0) on their home turf in Langley, B.C. Kick off for Saturday's match is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. (PT) at Rogers Field.

UBC will look to improve on the 1-1 result they earned in a season-opening draw with the Victoria Vikes. In that contest, midfielder/forward Gagan Dosanjh (Abbotsford, B.C.) provided the offence for the T-Birds, pouncing on a loose ball off of a deflected cross deep in Vikes' territory and burying the opportunity. Though Victoria would equalize soon after, and the game would end knotted at 1-1, Dosanjh showed the kind of finishing ability that made him one of UBC's most prized additions this offseason. The 2012 Canada West Most Valuable Player, Dosanjh should prove to be a central piece of UBC's attack moving forward.

Fraser Valley has been up-and-down early in the 2015-16 Canada West campaign. Their opening weekend was highlighted by a solid 2-0 win over the UBC Okanagan Heat on September 12, followed by a 3-0 loss to the Thompson Rivers WolfPack the next day.

Despite the early-season inconsistency, the T-Birds are well aware of how dangerous UFV can be. The Cascades ended the T-Birds' hopes of an undefeated year last season, handing them a 2-1 loss in the ninth game of the 2014-15 campaign.

Like Fraser Valley, Trinity Western has faced UBCO and Thompson Rivers in the early goings of the 2015-16 Canada West season. However, unlike UFV, the Spartans have come out of both contests with a win, topping the WolfPack 3-1 in their season opener on September 12, and following that up with a convincing 2-0 win over the Heat the next day.

Just two matches into the season, the Trinity Western has been led offensively by midfielder Joel Waterman and forward Jarvis Ambaka, who have notched a goal and assist apiece. Between the pipes, goalkeeper Andrew Hicks has been a sensation, making 12 out of 13 stops in the Spartans' two matches and leading Canada West with a sparkling 0.923 save percentage.