VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds closed out their preseason with an impressive 2-0 victory over the NCAA Div. II Western Washington Vikings in front of a raucous Jump Start crowd of over 3,000 at Thunderbird Stadium.
"Western Washington is a fantastic program. They're a team that is a perennial winner of their conference and they're a top team in the U.S.," said UBC head coach Jesse Symons of the 11th-ranked squad in the NCAA. "To go out and compete at that level, to have the fans' support...if we have that, we're going to fly. The big thing with our group is defending first, and they had that personality tonight. They scored a couple goals and created a bunch of chances in the second half...which is all you can ask for."
UBC's Danielle Steer opened the scoring in the 38th minute by firing home a rebound after Natasha Klasios intercepted a Vikings clear and got off a solid shot on target. Steer made no mistake rifling home her first touch into the gaping net past Washington keeper Natalie Dierickx to send the Jumpstart crowd into a frenzy.
Thunderbird goalkeeper
Emily Moore was tested early and often but came up with eight saves to record a well-earned clean sheet. With her 'Birds up 1-0 in the 53rd minute, Moore reached back to deflect a Viking shot off the crossbar, then scrambled to make another phenomenal save to maintain the lead.
Symons recognized the value of having Moore starting in goal for UBC this season.
"This is her second year now starting for us and she really showed leadership tonight," said the fourth-year head coach. "She wants to lead this team at the back...and I'm excited to see what she can do this season because it's going to be hard to score on her."
Photo by Rich Lam/UBC Thunderbirds
UBC's attack responded just a minute after Moore's bevy of saves when Katalin Tolnai gathered a Vikings turnover, broke in alone off the left wing and scored the 2-0 marker in the 54th minute.
Both teams traded chances throughout a back-and-forth battle that saw the Thunderbirds finish with six shots on goal, while Washington tallied 17 shots (eight on target) and were awarded nine corners.
Photo by Rich Lam/UBC Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds will look to ride their momentum into next weekend's season opener as they begin the Canada West schedule on home turf for the first time since 2013.
"We get to play a couple of our rivals with UFV and Trinity Western and we're excited for it," admitted Symons. "We're excited to start the season, have a good week of training...have the girls start school and look forward to a giant crowd here next week as well."
UBC hosts the Trinity Western Spartans on Friday, September 6 at 6:30 p.m. (PT) at Thunderbird Stadium.
