VANCOUVER – The U SPORTS No.1-ranked UBC Thunderbirds (8-0-0) are playing their final regular season home games of 2024 this weekend, taking on the No.32-ranked Mount Royal Cougars (2-5-2) on Friday at 5:00 p.m. (PT) followed by the No.11-ranked Victoria Vikes (5-1-3) at 1:00 p.m. (PT) on Sunday.
Both games will be played at Thunderbird Stadium, with the T-Birds set to honour nine graduating seniors, all national champions, at Sunday's match.
The team's massive graduating class is likely to be a theme across UBC varsity programs this season, as seniors from multiple recruiting classes have been combined due to the canceled pandemic year. Head coach
Jesse Symons noted that his graduates started with the team in three different seasons, with each group navigating a distinct journey to reach the ultimate glory that was last year's U SPORTS Championship.
"
Nisa Reehal,
Jacqueline Tyrer, and
Vanessa Tome joined the team in 2019," began Symons. "All three have been huge parts of the program since they first started. Vanessa and Nisa have both scored in all five seasons that they have played and have really established themselves as top strikers. Jacqueline has been a leader from the outset, being a USPORTS Championship All-Star in her first year and then kept progressing from there into becoming our captain. A major part of our back line since she arrived at UBC, she has been a huge part of why our team is so difficult to score on.
"
Josie Claypool,
Jade Taylor-Ryan,
Mary Nicholls,
Ella Nuttall-Smith, and
Lita Billman all came into the program during COVID and have each really established themselves as the seasons have gone on. It has been amazing to see their progression into positions on the team that are clear leadership roles and ones that make the environment that much stronger.
"
Sophie Hill started with us in 2021 and has had to battle a few injuries, but has really stayed true to the Thunderbirds and is currently the TAC (Thunderbird Athletic Council) Vice President. She is so great to have both on and off the field and truly a leader within the team, who everyone knows they will be supported by."
On the pitch, the T-Birds are looking to preserve their perfect 8-0-0 record after picking up a pair of wins in the Okanagan last weekend.
The 'Birds beat Thompson Rivers 3-0 before getting past an often troublesome UBCO Heat team 1-0. The Heat are the only team that has consistently scored on UBC over the last two years, accounting for five of the blue and gold's seven regular season goals against in that time. The low-scoring affair was certainly a departure from the usual script between the two sister schools, earning a mixed review from Symons.
"We focused on keeping them in front of us and not really jumping in to win the ball at certain times," praised the reigning Canada West Coach of the Year. "I was really impressed with our ability to manage any threats at our goal once they got into our half. A big credit to our back four and midfield for managing them for sure."
"However, we had a lot of very close chances to open up the match and didn't take them," Symons added. "It is imperative as we move through the rest of the season that our focus in and around the penalty box becomes more clear and concise. Our team is able to really overload defensive spaces and I am hoping that we can really take that into this weekend at home."
The final regular season weekend at home features two teams that the 'Birds have already defeated this year.
UBC flew to Calgary to take on the Mount Royal Cougars during their first weekend of the 2024 campaign, coming away with a decisive 5-0 victory. The T-Birds have not lost to the Cougars in over a decade, and the last time they did not win against MRU was a 3-3 tie on the road in 2017. Mount Royal's 2-5-2 record belies decent underlying numbers, with the team sitting in the middle of the conference in most major categories. They are perhaps best defined as a level-headed group known for their clean play, as the Cougars have received the fewest cards in Canada West so far despite playing the most games.
"MRU is a young team that has some very talented players who can cause trouble if you give them space," noted Symons. "If we can keep the ball and try to really play quickly when we need to it will hopefully allow us to get around their goal. They did a good job last time against us to stop our front three early on, so we will need to be prepared for a very organized team against us."'
Sunday's opponent is the only team to have gotten the best of the T-Birds over the last two regular seasons, as the Victoria Vikes handed UBC its only loss of 2023 in a 2-0 game on Vancouver Island. The 'Birds have already avenged that defeat, spoiling Victoria's homecoming festivities with a 4-0 road win in the 2024 season opener. The Vikes have not lost since then, with their 5-1-3 record good for second behind the Thunderbirds in Canada West's Pacific Division.
"We were quite timely when we scored in our first match and were able to manage the game as it went on against U Vic," concluded Symons. "I feel they will be very motivated to compete and try and stop our attacking group this time at Thunderbird Stadium. They have a very good program and players that can really manage a game, so I expect a very high tempo matchup."
Tickets for both games are
available here. Stream all UBC Thunderbirds Canada West soccer, live or on demand, on
Canada West TV.
