SASKATOON – With a 3-1 victory over the University of Manitoba Bisons Friday in a Canada West women's soccer play-in match, the UBC Thunderbirds advanced to the quarterfinal.
The reigning Canada West champion Thunderbirds were led by regular season scorer
Jasmin Dhanda, with two goals in the match. The T-Birds will now face the host University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the single elimination quarterfinal match Sunday.
"It was a good playoff performance today," said UBC head coach
Jesse Symons. "The players deserve full credit for the job today. They controlled the tempo and kept the ball for long stretches of the game."
UBC's offence opened the scoring quickly, tallying in the fourth minute. Dhanda got a foot on the ball in front of the Bisons' net redirecting a shot across the box from
Amelia Crawford.
Manitoba tied the match in the 39th minute after UBC's
Brienna Shaw was called for a handball in the box. Florin Wagner converted on the penalty kick.
UBC took the 2-1 lead in the 55th minute when
Emma Cunningham's shot beat Bisons' keeper Justine Jarmoszko into the top corner of the net.
Dhanda tallied her second of the match and insurance goal for the T-Birds in the 75th minute when she collected her own rebound and shot it passed the straying Jarmoszko.
Marlee Maracle finished the match making two saves in the win, while Jarmoszko made eight saves in the loss.
"It was good to come together for us with our first playoff win of this season's run and get that under our belt with some confidence," said UBC captain
Jasmine Mander. "Credit to the Bisons and we need to have the similar mindset to keep going after we score."
Kickoff in the Canada West quarterfinal is at 12 p.m. Sunday on Field 7 in PotashCorp Park.
