VANCOUVER – A Top-10 CIS women's soccer battle went the way of visiting Fraser Valley on a blustery Saturday night at Thunderbird Stadium as the No. 9 Cascades blanked the 10th-ranked UBC Thunderbirds 1-0.
 
It was the final home game of the regular season for UBC, and prior to kickoff, T-Bird soccer alumni joined family and friends to honour graduating seniors Madison Guy, Meagan Pasternak and Shayla Chorney.
 
"Maddie, Maegan and Shayla – they're great people and a great part of this team," said UBC head coach Jesse Symons. "They want to finish off strong this year in their last season – they've talked a lot about that."
 


In a chippy opening half, the Cascades outshot the Thunderbirds 13-5 as wind and rain swirled through the stadium.
 
Despite the rough weather, UFV scored the only goal of the game on a header that pinballed around the box before deflecting off the left goal post and past Marlee Maracle in the 33rd minute of play. Gurneet Dhaliwal took the corner kick, and Amanda Carruthers got her head on the ball, which then bounced off the ground and off the post and in. It was the sixth goal of the campaign for Carruthers.
 
"These conditions definitely don't suit us but you've got to play in them – a lot of credit to UFV today," said Symons. "I think overall we just need to be a little bit more clinical with our passing in the final third."
 


The 'Birds responded in the second half, firing shots shots toward Cascades' keeper Kayla Klim – while UFV failed to get a single shot on goal in the last 42 minutes of play. Jasmin Dhanda led the UBC attack with seven attempts at net.
 
With the loss, the Thunderbirds remain in fourth place in the Canada West's Pacific Division – just a single point up on Victoria, while the Cascades solidified the No. 2 seed. Symons knows the defeat at home will provide bulletin board material come playoff time.
 
"We're playing these guys in the Canada West quarter-final so we definitely have a grudge match against them now. After them beating us at our place, we'll probably be going to their place so we'll prepare to play UFV in a couple of weeks."
 


UBC is Prairie-bound next weekend to close out the regular season against Manitoba and Winnipeg on Saturday and Sunday.
 
UFV will close out the regular season with home games against Calgary and Lethbridge next weekend.