VANCOUVER – The 10th-ranked UBC Thunderbirds extinguished the UBC Okanagan Heat 2-0 in a battle of the UBC's at Ken Woods Field in Vancouver Friday night.
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Defender
Aman Shergill got her team on the board just six minutes in with her second goal of the season to put the 'Birds (3-1-4) up 1-0 over their Okanagan rivals, who fell to 2-5-0.Â
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Shergill hit a shot to the top right portion of the net after getting the ball on a short UBC corner.
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Thunderbirds head coach
Jesse Symons was pleased with the early tally.
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We came in with the mindset today to keep the ball, but also find attacking opportunities. After that first goal I felt we controlled the game quite well."
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UBC scoring sensation
Jasmin Dhanda agreed, noting the importance of playing with the lead.
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"The last few games we've been struggling getting to goal, so we're pushing…we did much better. Usually we've been waiting for the last few minutes to score, so it was nice to be a goal up."
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Dhanda did her part in the second half to pad the lead with a bullet that deflected off
Amelia Crawford, which doubled the T-Bird lead in the 69th minute.
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Symons knows how much of a threat Dhanda is up front.
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Every time
Jasmin Dhanda's been touching the ball she's dangerous. She's been a player that is constantly causing trouble for teams. Every game she's been up there as an impactful player offensively. She's very motivated and wants to lead this team up front.
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Other fresh faces made a good impression on Symons.
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Reetu Johal had a fantastic game in midfield – set up the first goal and was active as the game wore on.
Willa Taylor as well, it was her first CIS game. We're seeing a big difference in midfield in terms of what we need in there with a little more grit."
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UBC fired 20 shots towards the Heat net, but UBC Okanagan's Chloe Ainsworth was strong in net, making nine saves.
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It'll be a quick turnaround for the 'Birds as they host Thompson Rivers at Thunderbird Stadium Saturday night. Symons says his squad will be looking to start "fast and furious" and he'll be looking to show off the depth of the UBC roster.
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UBC Okanagan will travel to the provincial capital for showdown with the Victoria Vikes on Saturday at 5 p.m.
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