VANCOUVER - The red-hot UBC Thunderbirds (4-0-2) will look to keep their winning streak alive as they head out on the road to face a pair of division rivals in the UFV Cascades (2-2-2) and the Trinity Western Spartans (5-0-1) this weekend.
The No. 8-ranked T-Birds travel to Abbotsford on Friday to take on the Cascades at 7:00 p.m. PT before a 5:00 p.m. kickoff in Langley against the No. 2-ranked Spartans on Saturday.
UBC played to a 1-1 draw against UFV in week one of Canada West action at Thunderbird Stadium and also drew the division-leading Spartans, 0-0, in their home opener the night before. Following the two ties, the T-Birds rattled off four straight clean sheets and haven't allowed a goal since Bryana Buttar scored for UFV in the 39th minute on September 7th.Â
The 'Birds and the Prairie division MacEwan Griffins (4-1-1) have allowed the fewest goals in the Canada West, but the T-Birds boast the best save percentage at .964 thanks in part to standout keeper Emily Moore. The Victoria, B.C. product leads the conference with a .958 save percentage and is second with a .167 goals against average. With 14 points to date, the 'Birds are just two points back of the Pacific division-leading Spartans and Calgary Dinos (5-0-1) who are tied for first.
Last Action
UBC earned six points in commanding fashion last weekend, defeating the Regina Cougars 3-0 and the Saskatchewan Huskies 2-0 at Thunderbird Stadium. Alyssa Hunt scored her team-leading third goal of the season against the Huskies, while Danielle Steer and Sophie Damian each recorded their second goal in conference play against Regina.
Â
UFV lost to the Griffins 2-0 in Edmonton on September 21 and tied the Alberta Pandas 2-2 the following evening to stay at .500 on the season.
Trinity Western is on a five-game winning streak after downing the Pandas 3-0 and edging MacEwan 1-0 in Alberta. The Spartans have scored the second most goals in the Canada West (17) but have yet to score on the T-Birds this season.
Coach's Take
Thunderbird head coach Jesse Symons is proud of how his team plays as a unit and has been able to stifle the opposition's attack.
"Full credit to the players for really supporting each other on and off the field," said Symons. "The defensive mindset to make it difficult for teams to play has been excellent and with the quality we have shining through in the attacking half we will be focussed on staying on our front foot this upcoming weekend."
Symons also acknowledged the importance of the two divisional matchups ahead.
"It is always great to play in our pod of teams," said Symons. "To play UFV and TWU for the second time, we have the ability to clean some things up from the first matches we played and will continue to grow as we build through the season. We have had the ability to rest some players over the last week and it is exciting to have some players reinjected into the line-up as well. We will be excited to continue to progress as a team at this midpoint of the season."
Â
