The UBC Thunderbirds are just one game away from winning the Canada West Championship after grinding out a 1-0 home win over the Victoria Vikes.

Mikayla Stelling was the hero, scoring off a well-worked penalty corner at the beginning of the second quarter. It wasn't the prettiest of games (not helped by the downpour of rain drenching the west coast), but the T-Birds will be more than pleased with the result.

"This is exactly where we wanted to be," said Thunderbirds head coach Geoff Matthews. "We said at the start of the season we'll take eight 1-0 wins, and we need one more tomorrow. Obviously UVic are a good team so we're going to have to play our best tomorrow, but really happy with the performance."



The home side found themselves under the gun somewhat in the early going, with the Vikes controlling much of the play in the first quarter. That included a penalty corner midway through the opening frame as well as a couple other half chances, but Hannah Rumble and the rest of the UBC defence held firm.

The tide quickly turned in the second, as the Thunderbirds earned a penalty corner of their own just a minute into the quarter. From it, the ball was fired towards Birkley Anderson, who played a perfect pass onto the stick of Stelling. The fourth-year midfielder ripped a shot through traffic that found its way into the net for the opening goal.

That goal seemed to energize the T-Birds, who began to carry more of the play after they took the lead. There weren't any more clear-cut chances in the quarter, as the two teams went into halftime with the score at 1-0.

The second half was a very defensive battle, as the well-drilled Thunderbirds frustrated the Vikes, who struggled to break them down. There weren't many goal-scoring opportunities either way, and it looked like the game would come down to who could create that one glorious chance.



As the clock ticked into the final minute of the game, it was the Vikes who looked like they had that chance, earning a penalty corner with just 46 seconds left on the clock. However, the T-Birds wall held one final time, as they once again didn't let the ball get through to Rumble's goal and celebrated as time expired.

After the game, Matthews praised the defensive play of his team, who were able to take the sting out of UVic's offense by holding onto the ball for long stretches.

"That's who we are, we're a very possession-based team, and I think now the girls feel more comfortable to trust the structure and trust their options," added Matthews. "We're going to build on our performance defensively and look to score a few more goals tomorrow to make it easier for ourselves."

That final game begins at 11:00 a.m. (PT) at Wright Field. The Thunderbirds need to win or tie to clinch their first Canada West title since 2017. If the Vikes win, they capture their sixth straight banner and tie UBC for most all-time.
 
 
SCORING SUMMARY
UBC – Mikayla Stelling, PC, 17', 1-0 UBC

GOALKEEPERS
UBC – Hannah Rumble, 60MP, 0GA
VIC – Anais Chace, 60MP, 1GA

CARDS
UBC – Shannon Stelling, GC, 19'
VIC – Maeve Connorton, GC, 34'
VIC – Amanda Adams, YC, 46'
UBC – Shyana Ringma, YC, 60'