VANCOUVER - The No. 7 UBC Thunderbirds (3-2) are gearing up to clash with their perennial rival University of Victoria Vikes (4-1) in the Canada West semifinals for the second straight season on Friday, October 18, in Lethbridge. 

The two B.C. squads have gone head-to-head twice so far this season in the Legends Cup rivalry series, with each team winning on home field for the season split. Victoria edged the T-Birds 36-34 on the island in September, before the 'Birds earned a statement 32-12 home victory in their regular season finale. The Vikes came out on top in last season's Canada West semifinals, advancing to the national championships with a 26-0 win over the T-Birds in Edmonton.

Last Action

UBC capped off their regular season on a high note against Victoria on October 6 at the Gerald McGavin Rugby Centre, winning their third straight match after dropping the first two tests of the Canada West slate. Emma Feldinger scored two of the 'Birds' six tries on the afternoon while Shoshanah Seumanutafa put up a try and a convert to add to her scoring prowess in the 2019 season. Kally King ran in the go-ahead try early in the second half to make it 17-7 T-Birds in the 53rd minute. Victoria's Madison Aberg also tallied a try and a convert in the Vikes' first loss of the season.

Coach's Take

UBC head coach Dean Murten knows his team is in for a battle against a seasoned Vikes side.

"The Vikes have been in this position many times and always come out on top, we need to be smart when we have the ball and not give it away too easy.  UVIC have some great threats that will punish us if we don't take control of the ball. When they have the ball we need to be up for the physical challenge and get the ball back FAST."

Murten expects Victoria to come out strong, but knows his team will be up for the task.

"We're only as good as our last game, the regular season games mean nothing at all. UVIC will come back harder after they lost to us in the last league game so we need to be prepared for that. We have slowly got better each game, at times we have played some outstanding rugby.  However going into playoffs means the intensity rises and we need to cut down some basic errors."