VANCOUVER – 12 games into the Canada West season, and the UBC Thunderbirds are on top of the conference standings with a 12-0 record, and have clinched the No. 1 seed in the Pacific Division.
The final team standing in the way of an unbeaten regular season is the Victoria Vikes, who at 5-3-4 are hoping to stay ahead of UBC Okanagan and Thompson Rivers in the battle for the third seed in the Pacific.
"UVic is a very good program and one that we measure ourselves against year after year," said T-Birds head coach
Jesse Symons. "It will be great to compete on our final weekend against them as we lead into playoffs…we're expecting them to come out firing and we will have to match their intensity. We're continuing to really fire and build well, so I'm excited for us to finish the season strong in all moments of the game."
While the Thunderbirds didn't pile on the goals this past weekend on the road at Trinity Western and UFV, their defence continued to stand tall with another pair of shutouts.
Dakota Beckett and
Emma Sparrow each have six wins on the year in goal, and even with a backline overhaul from last season (with three of their four most common starting defenders in 2024 not playing this year), the team's defensive structure and ability hasn't skipped a beat.
"We showcased our ability to minimize chances away from UBC on the weekend and full credit to the goalkeepers and everyone who played at the back – plus
Taiya Dennehy in midfield – for managing UFV and TWU," added Symons. "They both needed results against us and I was very impressed with our composure and mindset to limit their chances in the match. We kept the ball well for long stages of the games and I'm excited to see this continue."
One of the most exciting features of this year's T-Birds squad is just how many younger players have featured roles. In fact, of the six athletes who have played in every conference game this season, four of them are in either their first or second year –
Zoelle Apps,
Heike Clarke,
Sienna Gibson and
Sophie Harrison.
The team's offence has also been incredibly balanced, with the Thunderbirds boasting four players who have eight or more goal contributions –
Ella Sunde leads the way with 10 (tied for fourth in the conference), followed by Gibson,
Jayda Thompson and
Holly Whelan with eight each. The only other team with more than one player who has hit that mark is Calgary, with two.
The Vikes are led by fourth-year forward Ruby Nicholas, the reigning Canada West Player of the Year who has three goals and six assists on the season, including six goal contributions in her last five games.
In those five games the Vikes boast a 3-1-1 record, shaking off a bit of a slower first half of the season as they try and round into form at the right time. They'll also be looking for some measure of revenge after the T-Birds came out on top in their most recent meeting – last year's Canada West Final.
The first game of this weekend's series begins at 6:00 p.m. (PT) on Friday, October 17th, at Ken Woods Field. The two teams then meet again in the regular season finale at Thunderbird Stadium, with kick-off set for 5:00 p.m. (PT).
