VICTORIA, B.C. – A season of perfection remains intact after the UBC Thunderbirds (12-0-0) earned a 2-0 win over the University of Victoria Vikes (1-3-6) at Centennial Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Making her 12th consecutive start,
Maddy Norman opened the scoring early in the first half to hand the 'Birds the advantage while taking sole possession of the U SPORTS scoring lead. The 'Birds continued to press, but the Vikes limited quality chances throughout, forcing UBC to wait until the 79th minute for an insurance tally off the boot of
Nina Rhode.
Maddy Norman needed just 13 minutes to pick up her 13th goal of the Canada West campaign. After receiving a pass just inside the box, she fired a shot that was blocked and bounced just outside the area. Norman quickly gathered the loose ball, turned toward goal and unleashed a pinpoint shot that tucked into the left corner, seemingly all in one motion.
For the rest of the first half, the 'Birds continued to press, with the majority of play happening in the attacking third. But the Vikes were up for the challenge and shut down opportunities once in close, keeping the 1-0 scoreline heading into halftime.
UBC nearly added on early in the second half. After being awarded a corner near the 55th minute,
Sophia Ferreira finished a cross with a header down low, only for it to bang off the crossbar before being cleared by the Vikes to end the threat.
On the counterattack, Victoria had a chance to net the equalizer. Adrianna Hilton sent a beautiful through ball that crossed a third of the field to spring Claire Nicholas down the left side. With a defender trailing on her back, the third-year forward labelled one on goal only to be met by a diving
Marilena Spagnolo to keep the home side off the scoreboard.
The T-Birds broke through the Vikes' defence once more as the game neared the 79th minute. Following a throw-in deep in the attacking half,
Jayda Thompson weaved around multiple defenders before dumping it out wide to
Felicia Hanisch, who delivered a perfectly placed cross into the centre of the box. Rhode leaped to meet the pass and directed the ball into the upper right corner of the net to seal the 2-0 win.
The victory marked the last road game of the season for the 'Birds, and they now return to the Point Grey campus for their final two games of the Canada West schedule. Action begins with a rematch against the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack on Friday, October 16 at 5:00 p.m. at Ken Woods Field, before taking on the UNBC Timberwolves for their regular-season finale on Saturday, October 17 at 5:00 p.m. at Thunderbird Stadium.
