Following a dominant six-point road trip to Alberta last weekend, the No. 8 UBC Thunderbirds (2-0-2) are back home to host a pair of prairie visitors as the Regina Cougars (1-2-1) head to Thunderbird Stadium Friday, September 20
th, followed by the Saskatchewan Huskies (3-1) on Saturday night.
After a pair of season opening ties at home, the T-Birds found their scoring touch last week with a combined six goals without allowing a single one against. Only the MacEwan Griffins, who have yet to be scored upon, have conceded fewer goals on the season than the 'Birds who are quickly proving their worth at both ends of the pitch.
Entering this weekend just two points behind Calgary and Trinity Western, the T-Birds can make a strong push further up the Pacific division standings with another solid weekend of results.
In their lone meeting last season, the 'Birds earned a 4-1 win in Regina, UBC's 11
th straight victory over the Cougars. Friday night will mark Regina's first visit to Vancouver since October 2015.
UBC is riding a three game win streak and a seven game unbeaten streak against the Huskies, including a 1-0 victory in Saskatoon in their most recent meeting last October. Saskatchewan also hasn't made an appearance in Vancouver since 2015.
Kickoff Friday against the Cougars is set for 6:30 p.m. PT with Saturday's game against Saskatchewan also featuring a 6:30 p.m. PT start.
Tickets are available online at Ticketmaster.
Last Action
The T-Birds earned their first win of the season last Saturday, 2-0 against the Mount Royal Cougars in Calgary. UBC followed up with a dominant 4-0 performance in Lethbridge on Sunday. The 'Birds remain one of three undefeated Pacific division teams and will look for their first home pitch win Friday night.
Regina suffered a 4-0 loss at home to Calgary last Friday but bounced back with a 1-1 draw with the UNBC Timberwolves on Saturday.
The Huskies hosted UNBC Friday night and came away with a 3-1 win but took their first loss of the season on Saturday, 2-1 to the Dinos.
Players to Watch
Alyssa Hunt (#4, F) – The fourth-year forward scored the game winner against Mount Royal last weekend with her first goal of the season while also earning an assist. Hunt added another goal in Lethbridge along with five shots.
Emily Moore (#1, GK) – Moore made four saves in the first half in Lethbridge to earn a share of the clean sheet with fellow UBC keeper
Sarah Johns. Having shutout the Cougars a day earlier, Moore has played over 186 minutes without conceding a goal. The fourth-year keeper is second in both Canada West goals against average and save percentage.
Coach's Take
Last weekend saw the 'Birds not only earn six points but also score a combined six goals while putting up 20-plus shots in each match, all good signs as the team moves into the heart of the regular season.
"We've had a really good week of training already," said UBC head coach
Jesse Symons who's aiming to get back to the national championship for the second time in four years. "The girls are really confident, they're in a good routine now with school so we're looking forward to the rest of the season."
The next few weeks could turn out to be critical in terms of creating separation from other teams in the division, even more reason to make hay at home.
"Regina and Saskatchewan are good teams, definitely both good structurally," explained Symons. "They're well coached teams from an attacking pattern perspective as well. We're going to have to be ready because they're going to want to steal points off us at home and I know they have the ability to do so."
The 'Birds have already faced their share of injuries this year but a corner appears to have been turned while the team has also been getting good contributions from up and down the roster.
"Natasha (Klasios), who has gone to the FISU games, has stepped into the mid-field role and established herself there. Overall, Janika (Sangha) is getting close, Sophie (Damian) will be back this weekend, and
Jessica Williams will be back. Overall we're getting healthier as the season goes on, which is great."
