VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds (4-1-1) are gearing up for their final two games of the Canada West regular season, as they host the defending conference champion University of Victoria Vikes (5-0-1) on Saturday, October 22^nd and Sunday, October 23^rd at 11:00 a.m. (PT) on Wright Field with the Canada West banner up for grabs.

 

"We're excited to have put ourselves in a position to really fight for the title this year," said UBC head coach Poonam Sandhu. "We have made some amazing strides over the past few weeks and are looking forward to competing against a top opponent. Our focus is on our game and the things that we can control in each quarter of play. I'm really proud of the work that the team has put in thus far and so at this point we just have to trust that process and leave it all out there."
 

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UVic currently leads the Canada West standings with 16 points, while the 'Birds are second with 13 points after the two teams played to a 1-1 tie (3-2 shootout win for UBC) on September 24^th and Victoria earned a 4-1 win over UBC on September 25^th in the provincial capital.


 
"I expect UVic to come out strong this weekend and to play through every single minute," said Sandhu. "This won't be an easy weekend for us, and I don't want it to be easy. We have proven that we can compete against this team and so we will execute our game plan and ensure that we continue to fight. It's going to be an exciting match-up and I'm looking forward to this weekend."
 
Earlier this month, the 'Birds earned a series sweep of the Calgary Dinos (0-8) on home turf – winning 1-0 and 3-1 with Miranda Yee named Canada West player of the week after scoring a crucial game winner.
 

?? WFH | T-Birds goal! @ubcwfieldhockey is now leading @DinosFHC 1-0 in the 1st quarter. #GoBirdsGo pic.twitter.com/g9fxXlO390

— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) October 2, 2022

"I would like for us to continue to work as a team and continue to work hard on defense," said Sandhu. "This game is won by everyone contributing on the pitch and so if we continue to work as a unit, I know we'll be successful. However, since that first week in Calgary we have continuously evolved and grown as a team and so I'm excited to get out there this weekend and display that growth."


 
UBC is ranked No. 5 in U SPORTS with Victoria sitting at No. 2 heading into the final weekend of regular season action, as the Canada West champion will also host the U SPORTS National Championships beginning November 3^rd.