VANCOUVER – After a tough pair of games against UVic the other week, the 2-1-1 T-Birds sit in second place in the Canada West standings, behind the 5-0-1 Vikes. With four games remaining in the season, the blue and gold will need a strong performance this weekend in order to vault themselves fully back into contention for the conference championship.
The Thunderbirds take to Wright Field again on the Saturday and Sunday of October 4th and 5th, taking on the Calgary Dinos. Winless so far on the season, the Dinos will be desperate to get some positive results on the board as they end their 2025 campaign this weekend.
UBC will be hoping for a return to offensive form after they were stymied last time out – hitting multiple posts and simply unable to convert enough chances against the Vikes.
"We created some good opportunities against UVic, but we weren't clinical enough in the final third," stated T-Birds head coach
Geoff Matthews. "The past week we've been emphasizing our decision-making in and around the circle — being more composed under pressure and finding that extra pass to create higher-quality chances. We're also focusing on set pieces, both penalty corners and quick restarts, to give ourselves more variety in how we generate goals."
On the other end, the T-Birds have employed some goalie rotation in three of their four conference games, with both
Robyn Goh and
Pascale Pottier seeing plenty of action. With Goh conceding just two goals so far this year and Pottier one, the Thunderbirds have two goalkeepers that they feel comfortable with at the back.
"Having two 'keepers we can rely on not only pushes the competition in training but also gives the group confidence that no matter who's in the net, we're getting top-level performances," added Matthews. "Both Robyn and Pascale bring slightly different strengths, which allows us to adapt to different situations and opponents. It creates stability for the backline and raises the overall standard of our team."
After defeating the Dinos twice in Calgary back in early September, this weekend's series presents an opportunity for the T-Birds to get some momentum going again. Matthews knows that if they're able to perform well this this weekend, then they will give themselves a chance to fight for the Canada West title in Victoria later in October.
"Every weekend in Canada West is critical, and we know how tight the standings can get. Securing two wins this weekend would be massive for our momentum and confidence heading into the final stretch.
"More importantly, it's about building consistency in our performances — stringing together back-to-back results shows growth and puts us in a stronger position heading into Victoria."
Both clashes with the Dinos begin at 11:00 a.m. (PT) this Saturday and Sunday at Wright Field.
