VANCOUVER – Saturday evening marked the first-ever Canada West contest between the No. 3 UBC Thunderbirds women's soccer team (1-0-2) and the visiting MacEwan Griffins (0-1-1). Despite out-shooting MacEwan 16-2, UBC was unable to generate a goal and ended the match with their second scoreless draw of the season.
Thunderbirds head coach
Jesse Symons was happy with his team's overall efforts, but acknowledged the frustration of not being able to get on the scoreboard.
"I think the players are a little frustrated because we are getting chances, and unfortunately we haven't buried one in two of three games."
UBC was looking to avoid their first loss of the season, while MacEwan hoped to rebound following its 2-0 loss in Victoria the night prior. Both clubs opted for a defensive first half, keeping the action glued to the midfield. The lone shot on goal in the opening 45 came from UBC's
Shayla Chorney, though it was denied by MacEwan goalkeeper Emily Burns.
The 'Birds best chance came in the 33rd minute as
Jasmin Dhanda carried the ball deep into MacEwan territory with the net wide open, but a brilliant sliding tackle from Griffins defender Jamie Erickson kept things scoreless.
The T-Birds applied more pressure throughout the second half, with a smash from
Margaret Hadley in the 47th minute and a long ball from
Rachel Jones both denied by the crossbar. Burns gobbled up he rebounds on both plays.
While UBC dominated offensively in the second half, Burns kept her team alive with a series of impressive saves, including a skillful diving effort in the 63rd minute off a blast from Dhanda. Burns had six saves on the night, while her team only managed a single shot.
Veteran UBC goaltender
Marlee Maracle, who has not allowed single goal this regular season, echoed her coach's views on the lack of scoring.
"So far we have had a pretty strong go defensively. Now we just need to get back to the drawing board and focus on finishing. We've got [Trinity Western] and UFV next weekend, so we have a lot to look forward to."
The 'Birds will hit the road next weekend to take on division rivals Fraser Valley and Trinity Western on Friday, September 16 and Saturday, September 17 respectively.
MacEwan will host provincial rivals Lethbridge (Sept. 17) and Calgary (Sept. 18) next weekend at the JP Bowl.
