The UBC Thunderbirds open up a highly anticipated 2018 Canada West soccer season this weekend starting with a visit to the Fraser Valley Cascades on Friday, August 31 followed by the 'Birds' home opener Sunday afternoon at Thunderbird Stadium.
Anticipation is high for UBC who will host the 2018 U SPORTS national championship in November and long-time head coach
Mike Mosher, who enters his 23
rd season at the helm, has reinforced his squad with some of the best young talent in the country.
2017 U SPORTS all-rookie team member
Victory Shumbusho is back to lead the 'Birds' attack which will also feature first-year forward and former Vancouver Whitecap
Caleb Clarke, as well as rookie midfielders
Thomas Gardner and
Nick Fussell, both from the Whitecaps residency program.
Looking for their first national championship in five seasons, the winningest program in the country enters the 2018 campaign ranked first in the Canada West preseason coaches' poll and seventh in the first U SPORTS top ten ranking of the season.
The T-Birds open up Friday's road contest at 6:30 p.m. PT at Abbotsford's Matsqui Recreation Centre. Following an off day Saturday, the 'Birds host the Trinity Western Spartans Sunday at 2:00 p.m. PT for their home opener in a rematch of the 2017 Canada West championship.
Last Action
The 'Birds finished the pre-season with a 1-3 record which featured a pair of games against Seattle University and the University of Portland, followed by a victory on home turf over Western Washington. UBC closed out the preseason last Friday night with a 3-1 loss to the Simon Fraser Clan.
UFV played a couple of rescheduled matches earlier this week, splitting a pair of 1-0 road contests with a win over Thompson Rivers Monday and a loss to the UBC Okanagan Heat on Tuesday.
The Spartans' lone match so far this season ended in a 1-1 draw against the Heat in Kelowna on Monday.
Players to Watch
Connor Guilherme (#5, D) – A Canada West second team All-Star in 2017, Guilherme is back for his third season with the T-Birds. The defender from Unionville, Ontario is one of just two returning defenders from last year and will be a leader for a strong crop of rookies. He has the ability to add offence from the back end as well, scoring twice last season and notching UBC's lone goal last week against the Clan.
Sean Einarsson (#10, M) – The midfielder from Surrey returns to the Thunderbirds after a two year absence. A first team Canada West All-Star in 2015, Einarsson led UBC with eight goals that season, a big part of the conference championship squad.
Coach's Take
Mike Mosher is no stranger to success having guided the T-Birds to four national championships and seven Canada West titles, and he knows better than anyone how rare the opportunity is to win a banner on home turf.
"We're certainly hopeful that a lot of the new pieces that have come in will be four or five year players so it's not just about this year but about having success each and every year," said the three-time Canada West Coach of the Year. "We want to get to the top of the heap because we haven't been there for a few years."
With a total of 15 new players on the squad for 2018, Mosher's biggest challenge might be figuring out how best to deploy his troops.
"We're still figuring out how the pieces fit together best. It'll probably take a good six weeks to really figure this out but the good news is we feel we have lots of quality to do quite well. We've got some nice pieces but we have to go through the process and get better each and every day. Us as coaches need to figure out how the whole thing will come together the best and engage all these players and get them feeling a part of what is hopefully a successful season."
