LANGLEY, B.C. – It wasn't the prettiest performance of the season for the Thunderbirds, but the defence stood tall in their biggest test of the season and a fantastic individual effort from
Sienna Gibson provided the goal that pushed her team's record to 11-0 in Canada West play.
Dakota Beckett made a season-high eight saves for the T-Birds, as the veteran goalie showed her All-Canadian prowess in the UBC goal.
The Thunderbirds were under fire in the first half, with TWU leading 6-1 in shot attempts and 4-1 in shots on goal. That lone UBC attempt was a long-range effort from Gibson, that while curling nicely settled right into the chest of Spartans' goalie Yasmine Pahal.
On the other side of the pitch, the home side were more often able to get themselves into shooting positions, but for the most part weren't able to get real power behind their attempts to truly trouble Beckett.
In that opening half it was Holland Stiel who perhaps came the closest to becoming the first player this season to score against the T-Birds with a shot from the edge of the box that was tipped over, while she also had a headed attempt that glanced just wide of the left post.
The Spartans came out fast to begin the second half, with Kylie Hendricks firing a shot from a tough angle less than 30 seconds after kick-off that forced a save from Beckett. The shot attempt counter grew to 10-1, with the Langley outfit playing with plenty of fire but the UBC backline doing a good job of weathering the storm.
When you're facing adversity, that's when you want your top players to provide a moment of magic, and that's exactly what Gibson did in the 59th minute. First,
Victoria Cronkhite did some great hold-up work, receiving a long clearance from
Zoelle Apps before turning and threading a pass to Gibson in stride as she crossed the halfway line.
The second-year midfielder did the rest from there, with a beautiful first touch that took her past the closest defender and sent her off to the races. Using her speed to keep ahead of the defence, she took her shot from right at the top of the box and placed it in the bottom corner past the sprawling Pahal.
The Spartans came very close to finding the equalizer in the 74th, when Sophie Crowther crossed in a long free kick from more than 40 yards from goal. While she didn't find the head of a teammate, the ball bounced dangerously towards the net and was only stopped from crossing the line by a diving save from Beckett.
The Thunderbirds managed to shut things down from there, making it 11 wins and 11 shutouts on the trot. They now have a day off before heading to Abbotsford to take on the UFV Cascades at 1:00 p.m. (PT) on Sunday afternoon.
