VANCOUVER, B.C. – The UBC Thunderbirds are heading back to the Canada West women's soccer championship final.
The defending champions booked their berth in Friday's final, and a place at next week's nationals, thanks to a closely-contested 2-1 win over the Mount Royal Cougars at UBC's Ken Woods Field on Thursday afternoon.
UBC stayed perfect on the season thanks to goals from
Ava Alexander and
Holly Whelan on either side of half time, but a goal from Canada West Player of the Year Tamara Djurisic with 20 minutes remaining kept the game hanging in the balance and saw the Thunderbirds concede for the first time of the season.
Despite some late pressure the Cougars couldn't find a second, however, and the Thunderbirds juggernaut rolls on.
"Mount Royal have had a lot of character all season, so credit to them," UBC head coach
Jesse Symons said after the match. "I felt we could have actually ended it in the first half if we had our scoring boots on, but it just wasn't the start we wanted.
"I was really impressed with our first goal, with Maddy [Norman] and Ava [Alexander]. They've been stepping up big time right now. For me, Holly [Whelan] has had an amazing season and for her to get the winner it was full credit for her, and it was off a play we've been talking about all season. That second goal was very important because they've got some good players and they found one on us, which was disappointing, but we'll take the win every day of the week."
UBC came out strong, with
Maddy Norman firing over with less than a minute on the clock.
The Thunderbirds were controlling the first half possession but the Cougars had a great chance when Djurisic forced UBC keeper
Dakota Beckett into an acrobatic save in the 39th minute.
UBC's pressure paid off two minutes before half time on a quick transition play when Norman streaked forward, centering the ball for Alexander, who deftly tucked it away into the bottom left corner.
Mount Royal responded well and Isabella Chirico forced a late save out of Beckett when she got her head on a Djurisic corner.
The Thunderbirds came out fast after the restart, looking to get a quick second and they got it in the 49th minute, capitalizing on a defensive mistake from the Cougars. Alexander's pressure forced a turnover which
Sofia Peckenpaugh pounced upon, playing it inside to Whelan, whose looping shot from the edge of the box flew past Fillek.
Facing a two-goal deficit, Mount Royal battled back valiantly and they cut the lead in half in the 70th minute when Djurisic bravely attacked a long ball forward from Chirico, getting her head to it before Beckett could grab it.
It was the first goal UBC had conceded all season and gave Mount Royal belief they could find the equalizer, but the Thunderbirds saw out the game and will now meet either the Trinity Western Spartans or the Calgary Dinos in Friday's final at Ken Woods Field as they look to lift back-to-back Canada West banners. Kick off is 3.30 p.m. (PT).
They will also be heading back to U SPORTS nationals, where they are looking for an unprecedented three-peat.
"As a program we want to go to nationals, we want to compete there, and we want to compete against the best," Symons said. "We've got a big test first tomorrow. The objective today was to get to nationals, now we've got to regroup and play a very good program tomorrow."
The Mount Royal Cougars will play in Friday's bronze medal match. Kick off for that one is 12.30 p.m. (PT).
