Langley, B.C. – The No. 6 ranked UBC Thunderbirds suffered their first loss of the 2018 season in a wild 4-1 Trinity Western Spartans victory at Chase Office Field Saturday night.
The host Spartans spotted themselves an early 2-0 lead and added another pair in quick succession midway through the second half.
"We got caught up early with a couple uncharacteristic errors that won't happen often," said UBC head coach
Jesse Symons. "We need to manage our emotions in the match after being scored on. It was some learning for us against an opponent that will do anything to get three points and that's important as we continue through Canada West play."
Third-year Gabi Short opened the game for the No. 4 ranked Spartans (2-0-0) just 24 seconds into the first half, marking her second goal of the season. Three minutes later she earned an assist when Seina Kashima tallied her first of the season to give TWU the early two-goal edge.
However, UBC (2-1-0) responded quickly in the fifth minute with
Danielle Steer scoring her second of the season to set the game at 2-1.
Looking to earn their second win in a row to start the season, TWU's Amy Gartke and Rachel Hutchinson got in on the scoring in the second half to close out a tidy Spartans effort.
Hosting the second and third ranked teams in the Canada West preseason poll – UBC was second and the Vikes were third – TWU outscored its local rivals 7-2 over two nights to make an emphatic early-season statement.
TWU goalie Rachel Sydor stopped two of the three shots she faced before being forced from the game with an injury after a collision late in the first half. First-year Hannah Miller saw her first minutes as a Spartan and stopped the only shot she faced in 45 minutes of action. UBC goalie
Emily Moore made five save on the nine shots she faced.
After a wild start to the contest, the game cooled for the remaining 40 minutes of the first half as UBC and TWU traded possession.
The second half started slowly and didn't see any goals until the 60th minute, when the fifth-year Gartke broke through, slamming home a loose ball from just inside the box. Hutchinson earned her first goal of the season just two minutes later to increase the Spartans lead to 4-1.
Thunderbird
Emma Kallner put an 81st-minute shot on target, but was denied by Miller.
The 'Birds played a younger group overall Saturday compared to the night before, providing some good opportunities.
"This was a great chance to get many young players into the league today after a fantastic performance against UFV," said Symons. "Playing five first-year players today and to control the possession through the middle half of the game was fantastic."
The 'Birds will regroup and prepare for their home opener next Friday, September 14 when they host the Lethbridge Pronghorns at Thunderbird Stadium. UBC will close out the weekend with a date against the visiting Calgary Dinos the following evening.
