VANCOUVER – It's just about time for the first home games of the season for the T-Birds, and they're certainly big ones.
Coming to Wright Field are the Victoria Vikes, the six-time defending Canada West champs who snatched last year's conference title away from the T-Birds on the final day of the regular season. The first game of the weekend set is at 11:00 a.m. (PT) on Saturday, September 20th, before a rematch at the same time the following day.
With both storied programs now sitting on 25 all-time Canada West banners each, and both 2-0 to begin this campaign, getting out to a lead in the standings following this first pair of meetings is crucial.
"The team is playing with a lot of confidence and belief," said Thunderbirds head coach
Geoff Matthews. "We know that UVic games are always a battle but we are ready to play with freedom and show our faithful fans why we are so excited for this season. The game will come down to key moments and with the improved depth in our squad, and the number of potential match-winners we now have, this will make us a formidable opponent."
The season has certainly started out well, with the T-Birds recording a pair of 5-0 victories over the Calgary Dinos earlier this month. The 10 goals came from nine different scorers, including first-years
Laurien Bruijning and
Rayna Dhaliwal.
Thora Rae was the only player to score twice, and was subsequently awarded the Canada West Player of the Week award.
"I thought we played really well in our first weekend," added Matthews. "This is a new team and they have been able to connect well both on and off the field. We don't believe we have played our best game yet and the past two weeks have allowed us to refine some key areas that we know will help us in future games."
The Vikes, meanwhile, are also coming off a pair of wins over the Dinos, taking 5-0 and 3-0 victories this past weekend. Veteran defender Libby Hogg leads the team with three goals, which is already more than she scored all of last season. Jaden Dawson and Molly Harris each have two goals, while goalkeeper Anais Chace has played every minute in goal.
Third-year keeper
Robyn Goh has gotten the bulk of the work so far for the blue and gold, with
Pascale Pottier making her Canada West debut with one half of action in the second of the two games against Calgary.
After earning a 3-1 record at home last season, the Thunderbirds aim to make Wright Field even more of a fortress this year.
"Playing at Wright Field is always a privilege," stated Matthews. "Being able to showcase the 2025-26 team at home will give the local community an opportunity to see where we our program is heading, and hopefully inspire the next generation of T-Birds stars."
