Jayda Thompson watches her strikes blow past the Heat keeper
Jacob Mallari/UBC Thunderbirds
1
UBC Okanagan UBC OKAN (8-4-2, 8-4-2)
2
Winner UBC UBC (13-1-0, 13-1-0)
UBC Okanagan UBC OKAN
(8-4-2, 8-4-2)
1
Final
2
UBC UBC
(13-1-0, 13-1-0)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UBC Okanagan UBC OKAN 1 0 1
UBC UBC 1 1 2

Game Recap: Women's Soccer | | Michael McColl (UBC Communications)

'Birds beat Heat to finish first place regular season in style

VANCOUVER, B.C. - UBC Thunderbirds (13-1-0) wrapped up their 2023 regular season with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the visiting UBC Okanagan Heat (8-4-2) at Ken Woods Field on Sunday afternoon.

The match was a battle between the two Golden Boot leading goalscorers in the Conference. UBC's Katalin Tolnai and UBCO's Stefanie Young headed into the clash tied at 14 goals apiece, but neither could find their golden goal in an enthralling encounter.
 
The Heat put in an impressive overall display and took the lead in the 14th minute from Annabelle Walker. Their lead was to last less than three minutes before Nisa Reehal tied things up after capitalizing on a mistake from the visiting keeper. That was how it stayed until the 81st minute when Jayda Thompson grabbed the matchwinner, with her first goal of the season after coming back from an injury.

A good battle between the two sister schools and a possible precursor to another match-up between the two sides in the playoffs.

"It was a great game," UBC head coach Jesse Symons said after the match. "They've done well to finish third in the division for sure. For us, we score some early chances and get the game out of reach in the first half and we're probably smooth sailing throughout the game. They do try and play, they like to bounce the ball around. I thought they did that well in their half.  We kept them outside of our penalty box pretty well today. Hopefully they do well in their quarter-final game against Saskatchewan."

Ella Sunde prepares to kick the ball, her right leg cocked back, as a UBCO Heat defender approaches

It was an entertaining first half with both teams playing some free-flowing attacking football and looking to end their regular seasons with a flourish heading into the playoffs.

Vanessa Tome had the first chance to break the deadlock seven minutes in but could only look on in anguish as her chip over Heat goalkeeper Talia Gagnon crashed off the crossbar and fell the wrong side of the goalline.

Tome had another chance minutes later before the visitors scored the opener with a well-worked team goal in the 14th minute.

Young got the ball in the box but was forced wide by the attention of two UBC players. She cut the ball back to Eleni Georgacacos, who played it outside to Annabelle Walker. The winger then showed great composure to finish past Dakota Beckett and give the Heat the early lead.

It was a lead that was to last less than three minutes as the Thunderbirds pounced on a mistake by Gagnon, who had come out to the midway point of the Heat half but miscontrolled the ball, allowing Reehal to race in, strip it away, bare down on goal, and finish into the empty net.

Nisa Reehal celebrated after scorign

UBC turned up the intensity after the equalizer and a Tolnai header came off the right post in the 19th minute.

Reehal was then denied by the woodwork in the 33rd minute when again she was played in on goal and with Gagnon advancing she touched it past the keeper but it came back off the left post this time.

Gagnon produced a sprawling save to keep out Tolnai two minutes later before the last chance of the half fell to the Heat when Young was played in, rounded Beckett, but the Thunderbirds keeper recovered to keep out the shot and the teams headed in at the break all square.

The Heat started the second half strongly and Young had three looks on goal, without coming too close to breaking the deadlock.

As the hour marked ticked by Reehal was almost played in again but this time couldn't get past Gagnon and was unable to get a clean shot off.

UBC had a great chance to take the lead in the 64th minute when Tolnai slipped in Thompson but Gagnon produced a great save to deny the sub and Tolnai saw her shot from the rebound blocked and cleared.

The Thunderbirds kept the pressure on and Sophie Damian almost grabbed another spectacular goal to go with her effort from Friday night, but her chip was tipped over by Gagnon from under her bar in the 74th minute.

Gagnon then produced a fantastic double save to deny first Tolnai and then Thompson, before Young then fired inches over for the Heat, as the action flowed from end to end.

It felt that a goal was coming and it finally did with nine minutes remaining when Thompson won the ball at the edge of the box, took it in on goal and slotted it past Gagnon to give UBC the lead.

Jayda Thompson flying through the air after knocking the ball past a sprawling keeper, she watches it as it heads toward the goal

UBCO pushed hard for the equalizer in the closing minutes but couldn't find it, and although they will be disappointed with the defeat, the Heat can take a lot of confidence from their performance against the number one ranked team in the country as they head into the postseason.

Both teams now have next weekend off ahead of their quarter-finals the following week. UBC will host the winner of the 4th/5th Prairie Division play-in game between Alberta and Regina, while UBCO will travel to take on Saskatchewan.

"For us, this is the time we've got to shine and push," Symons said. "We had an amazing Canada West season, tying the record we tied last year with 39 points, so best in Canada West history, which is pretty cool. But now it's about getting after it and really pushing that next level."  

The T-Birds now get a weekend off, but will be closely watching the results of the Canada West play-in tournament to find out who they will take on in their quarterfinal matchup, set to be played at Thunderbird Stadium on Saturday, October 28th.
 
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