VANCOUVER - The battle for top spot in the Pacific Division will be on full display at Thunderbird Stadium as two of the hottest teams in the Canada West meet for the last time in regular season action. U SPORTS' No. 1-ranked Trinity Western Spartans (11-1-0) visit the UBC Thunderbirds (10-2-0) Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Thunderbird Stadium for seniors night, as the graduating fifth-year T-Birds will be recognized prior to kickoff. Currently ranked fourth in the nation, and sitting second in the division, UBC is just one win back of the Spartans with two games remaining on the schedule. Not only will the game have significant playoff implications, but both teams will be looking to extend impressive seven-game win streaks.
 
Following the crucial head-to-head tilt with Trinity Western, the T-Birds will close out their regular season against the fifth-place UFV Cascades (4-5-3) on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. also at Thunderbird Stadium.
 
In their previous meeting, Trinity Western dealt the Thunderbirds their first loss of the season with a 4-1 home victory in week two of the 2018-2019 campaign. Conversely, UBC earned a 4-1 win over the Cascades on September 7th in Abbotsford.

Last home conference matches of year this weekend. Both matches at Thunderbird Stadium #GoBirdsGo pic.twitter.com/q9L2qpVVJj

— UBC Women's Soccer (@ubcwsoc) October 17, 2018

 

Last Action

 
The 'Birds are coming off a pair of victories on their Prairie trip last weekend - defeating the University of Saskatchewan Huskies 1-0 in Saskatoon, before overpowering the Regina Cougars 4-1 to push their undefeated streak to seven games.
 
The Spartans put up back-to-back clean sheets a week ago against the University of Alberta Pandas (winning 2-0) and the Mount Royal Cougars (a 7-0 performance) to overtake Montreal as No. 1 in the U SPORTS rankings.
 
UFV will be looking to solidify their spot in the postseason after edging Mount Royal 1-0 and finishing with a 3-3 draw against Alberta. With 15 points on the season, the Cascades are fifth in the division - four points clear of UBCO, who occupy the final playoff berth.
 

By the Numbers

 
119 – The Thunderbirds are tied with the Spartans atop the Canada West with 119 shots on target so far this season, and are second in the league with 24 goals.
 
41 – The Spartans' potent offense leads the Canada West with 41 goals scored to date, and consequently a league-leading shot percentage of 0.192.
 

 

Players to Watch

 
Danielle Steer – (#17, Forward) – In her second season with the Thunderbirds, Steer has flourished as a primary threat on the attack. The Arts major is tied with Michelle Jang as Canada West's top goal scorer with 8 goals, while adding 10 assists - good for second in the league.
 
Seina Kashima – (#9, Forward) –  On a Spartans team that leads the Canada West with 35 assists, Kashima leads all of U SPORTS with 13 assists. The fourth-year Burnaby native also has seven goals (including three game-winning goals) and a team-high 58 shots in 12 games played.
  

Coach's take

 
UBC Head Coach Jesse Symons is extremely proud of his team's ability to push each other and play as a unit.
 
"The team has a great personality to really support and stick to their function on the field," said Symons. "The support from the collective has been motivating to play at very high levels throughout matches. This is the time of the year that we have been preparing for. The games right now are still focussed on seeding and we have done well to put ourselves in the situation we have over the last few weeks."
 
Coach Symons knows that each team in the Canada West poses unique challenges, and the next two Thunderbird opponents are no different.
 
"TWU like to play aggressive and direct with a high press to upset our possession style out of the back," added Symons. "We will be ready for this and look forward to the challenge. I expect a high tempo game with lots of energy. We will be excited to have to play at home in front of our fans that night! UFV had some great results last weekend. We will need to be ready and motivated to play a strong team that has the ability to score in a number of ways. It will be our last league match of the season at home so it will be an exciting time for our seniors and team that night. Our games with UFV are always lively and competitive and we will be motivated to have a strong last outing at home."