VANCOUVER - With the 2024 Canada West season set to begin this weekend, the UBC Thunderbirds are entering this new campaign with six new high-level recruits.
 
The new T-Birds include Calgary native Zoelle Apps, Emma Sparrow, who hails from Victoria, and a host of Metro Vancouver residents in Sophia Abiera, Sienna Gibson, Olivia Gomez and Niki Long.
 
The Thunderbirds are aiming to recapture the heights they reached last year, where they lost just two games all season and won their eighth national title – the most of any school. After beating rivals Trinity Western in the U SPORTS championship game last November, the T-Birds enter 2024 ranked at the top of the preseason coaches poll, with all but one first-place vote.
 
"We have a very talented group of incoming players that can support our team on both sides of the ball," said head coach Jesse Symons. "All of them have been huge parts of their youth teams and with this came a lot of success with provincial championships. It will be exciting to see them progress through their first year and really try and influence our team."



Sienna Gibson, an attacking-focused midfielder from Vancouver, hopes to do just that. An honour roll student at Crofton House School, she has shown high-level chops both in the classroom and on the field. She was a member of the Vancouver Whitecaps Girls Elite Academy team that won the 2023 League1 BC championship and the 2023 FIFA Blue Stars Tournament, and also won several championships with Fusion FC alongside fellow recruits Olivia Gomez and Sophia Abiera.
 
"The prestigious programs UBC has to offer and the strong sense of community amongst the soccer team really intrigued me to pursue my university career at UBC," said Gibson, who plans to study Kinesiology. "In addition to the academics and tight-knit team, the beautiful campus sets it apart from the rest of the schools."
 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UBC Women's Soccer (@ubcwsoccer)

Olivia Gomez is a fullback from Richmond who loves getting involved in the attack and whipping crosses into the penalty area. She won three Provincial Premier Cups and five BC Soccer Premier League titles with Fusion FC, and also captained the BC Soccer Provincial Team during her senior year of high school. She's happy to be at UBC both for her education and athletics.
 
"UBC's distinguished soccer program as well as world-renowned education is something that is incomparable to any other school," said Gomez. "The beautiful campus, and the fact that it is close to home for me, were also just a few reasons why I chose to become a Thunderbird."
 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UBC Women's Soccer (@ubcwsoccer)

A Vancouver native, Sophia Abiera plays both winger and fullback. The third and final Fusion FC recruit in this year's class, the chemistry she already has playing with Gibson and Gomez should help all three them adapt to the U SPORTS level. Abiera is a quick and athletic player who loves to drive forward and take on defenders when she has the ball at her feet. She's proud to represent her hometown team as she pursues a Bachelor of Arts at UBC.
 
"I chose UBC because of its academics and wanting to stay local and close to family. After meeting the team and community I had no doubt that I wanted to become a T-Bird," said Abiera.
 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UBC Women's Soccer (@ubcwsoccer)

The lone out-of-province recruit in this year's class, Zoelle Apps hails from Calgary. She played centre-back for both William Aberhart High School and Calgary Blizzard FC. She sees her competitiveness as one of her best qualities on the field, and that drive shines off the field as well, as she's an honour roll student who plans to earn a degree in Biology during her time as a T-Bird.
 
"I love the culture of athletics and the high academic quality at UBC," said Apps. 
 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UBC Women's Soccer (@ubcwsoccer)

Emma Sparrow is the newest goalkeeper on campus, coming from Royal Bay Secondary on Vancouver Island. Though she stands at just 5'6, her explosiveness and quick reflexes allow her to cover the net effectively. A standout both on and off the field, Sparrow was named the Royal Bay Scholar Athlete of the Year, as well as the Golden Glove award recipient at the BC Provincial Championships.
 
"The competitive atmosphere and highly respected academic reputation made me want to be a Thunderbird," said Sparrow.
 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UBC Women's Soccer (@ubcwsoccer)

Delta native Niki Long is joining the T-Birds as an athlete who can play across the backline. After missing her final high school season due to injury, she's hoping to make her mark now as a Thunderbird. An honour roll student at South Delta Secondary, she plans to pursue a Bachelor of Science at UBC.
 
"The most appealing thing was the academics because they are world-renowned, as well as the women's soccer program," said Long.
 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UBC Women's Soccer (@ubcwsoccer)

The Thunderbirds begin their quest to repeat as national champions on Friday, September 6^th in Victoria, before travelling to Alberta to take on Mount Royal on Sunday, September 8^th. The T-Birds are coming off a very strong preseason where they compiled a record of 5-1 against American opposition, with the lone loss coming against the University of Washington, an NCAA Division I school. They're coming off a 3-0 home win over Division II side Western Washington this past weekend in the annual Jump Start game.
 
UBC will be looking for revenge on Friday against the Vikes, who were the only team to beat the T-Birds in the Canada West regular season last year. Victoria finished 4^th in the conference with an 8-4-2 record in 2023, and were strong at home at 5-2.
 
Sunday will mark just the seventh all-time meeting between UBC and MRU. The T-Birds have never lost to the Cougars, with four wins and two draws including a narrow 1-0 victory on the road last September. MRU missed the playoffs last season with a 4-7-3 record.
 
The Thunderbirds will play their home opener on Friday, September 13^th against UBC Okanagan. That game is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m. at Thunderbird Stadium.