VANCOUVER – It was the Danielle Steer show at Thunderbird Stadium Friday night as the fourth-year forward completed her first career Canada West hat trick, leading UBC to a 3-0 win over the UBC Okanagan Heat.
The T-Birds (7-0-0) dominated the match from start to finish en route to their seventh consecutive victory to start the season, putting up 15 shots, nine of them on target, while UBC's Emily Moore and Sarah Johns split duties in net for the clean sheet. UBCO (0-4-3) tested the 'Birds keepers with two shots on goal.
"I think that was our most complete game," said UBC Head Coach Jesse Symons. "They're a very good passing team and if you don't step on them, they're going to punish you. Overall we had a full team performance tonight to keep them in their half and then play and find ways to attack. From the first half on we kept that mindset and that's what we want to see from our team from minute one onwards."
Steer opened scoring just 14 minutes into the match. Sophie Damian managed to fight off a pair of Heat defenders for the ball off a T-Birds throw in and quickly passed up to Steer who hammered a low shot past UBCO keeper Molly Race for her team-leading eighth goal of the season.
UBC doubled their lead in the 40th with Steer's second of the evening. Ella Nuttall-Smith played the ball up for Vanessa Tome who, after settling the ball, made a nifty close-range pass to Steer. The T-Birds star striker then spun and fired from 15 yards out past a helpless Race.
After dominating the first half, the 'Birds picked up right where they left off to begin the second.
In the 68th minute, Steer rushed with the ball towards the goal while Race came out to challenge, a bit too aggressively as it turns out, as a penalty was awarded.
Not surprisingly, Steer made no mistake, converting for the hat trick to give her 10 goals in just seven games this season.
"Dani came in ready to go this year and she's showing it, what a performance tonight," said Symons of Steer's incredible showing. "Anything and everything she wanted to do tonight was going to be dangerous. Let alone the three goals, she could have actually had a few more and she was also looking to create. I also thought we had other players get around goal today, so a very good performance all around for our team."
The T-Birds will try to extend their unbeaten streak as they close out the weekend doubleheader with the Heat on Saturday. Kickoff at Thunderbird Stadium is set for 5:30 p.m. PT.
