VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds (0-0-2) are gunning for their first victory of the season as they travel to Alberta to visit the Prairie Division's Mt. Royal Cougars (0-2-0) and Lethbridge Pronghorns (0-0-2) after drawing their first two matches of the season.
UBC will take on a winless Cougar squad on Saturday, September 14, at 12:00 p.m. PT before heading off to Lethbridge for a tilt with the Pronghorns on Sunday, September 15, at 11:00 a.m. PT. The Thunderbirds last faced the Cougars in October of 2017, when the two teams played to a 3-3 draw, while the T-Birds trounced Lethbridge 4-0 at Thunderbird Stadium one year ago.
Last Action
The 'Birds opened the season at home against the two-time defending Canada West champion Trinity West Spartans in a hotly contested 0-0 draw that saw six UBC shots on target and eight total shots by the Spartans. The T-Birds took on another division rival in the UFV Cascades the following evening, and were down 1-0 at the half before getting a late equalizer from Sophie Damian to again come away with a tie at Thunderbird Stadium.
Mt. Royal began their conference schedule on the road in Edmonton where they suffered back-to-back losses to the MacEwan Griffins and the Alberta Pandas without recording a goal. Lethbridge also has two ties to their name entering the second week of action after drawing both the Pandas and the Griffins to start the season.
Coach's Take
"The players are really pushing to get into the starting 11 this week," said UBC head coach Jesse Symons. "The depth we have is exceptional in all positions and it's now about building relationships and, as a staff, finding the right combinations as we move to the weekend. The season is about building week over week and we felt there were lots of positives from the UFV and Trinity games. Mount Royal and Lethbridge both like to keep the ball and have some good athletes that can get to goal so we will need to make sure our defensive structure is set to manage them."
Symons knows his team is capable of earning their first win of the season and are eager to do so on the road.
"We created some great chances in our first two games of the season and unfortunately didn't fall our way. With a little bounce left or right we win both matches. We have a lot of talent up front and know that these players are going to be excited to get back on the field this weekend."
