ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – The UBC Thunderbirds held off a late surge by the host Fraser Valley Cascades Sunday afternoon to earn a 2-1 win, sweeping the weekend series and keeping their perfect record intact.
Danielle Steer scored her team leading seventh goal of the season late in the opening half while Emma Hooton added her first of the campaign in the 71st minute. Janika Sangha and Sophia Ferreira each picked up an assist.
The U SPORTS No. 4-ranked Thunderbirds – the reigning national champs – had opened the Canada West campaign with five straight clean sheets. Halle McCambley ruined that streak in the 78th minute on behalf of the Cascades (0-4-2), but the Thunderbirds (6-0-0) refused to allow UFV to complete their comeback attempt.
The Cascades held a distinct territorial advantage over the first 25 minutes but were unable to generate a truly clean look at goal. Jashan Sandhar and Jiya Kaila both had several promising runs down the right flank, and on one of those occasions, Kaila squared the ball for Brittany Costa, but her shot was easily handled by UBC goalkeeper
Emily Moore.
The Thunderbirds began to gain traction as the half wore on. Steer forced an outstanding leaping save from Cascades keeper Joven Sandhu in the 37th minute, and in the dying moments of the half, the UBC veteran scored the ice-breaker.
Sandhu dove to her right to make an acrobatic save on Janika Sangha's initial shot, but as the Cascades tried to clear the ball off the line, Steer was there to battle her way to the ball and knock it in.
The T-Birds went up 2-0 in the 71st – Sophia Ferreira's free kick crashed into the wall of Cascade defenders, but the ball ricocheted right to Hooten, and her long-distance strike was pure, finding the top right corner.
Just six minutes later, McCambley gave the home fans reason to cheer. Kaila, from the right wing, laid the ball off to Jessica Fennell, and her cross found McCambley deep in the box. The sophomore midfielder volleyed it home from close range to snap the T-Birds' shutout streak at 528 minutes.
The Thunderbirds are back on their home pitch next weekend when they host the UBC Okanagan Heat (0-3-3) for a double dip Friday and Saturday, October 8th and 9th. Kickoff for both games is set for 5:30 p.m. PT at Thunderbird Stadium. Tickets are free but must be reserved in advance.
