VANCOUVER – The long-awaited UBC Thunderbirds women's field hockey home opener has finally arrived, with the conference-leading T-Birds (3-1-0-0, 11pts) hosting the Calgary Dinos (0-0-6-0, 0 pts) for back-to-back games this Saturday and Sunday at 11:00 a.m. (PT) at Wright Field.
UBC opened its eight-game Canada West schedule with four consecutive contests on the road, and four wins. The T-Birds took down the Dinos twice in regulation in Calgary, before securing a massive pair of victories in Victoria (one via shootout) to grab control of the three-team conference before ever hosting a home game.
"It's been an excellent first half, I'm really happy," said UBC head coach
Geoff Matthews. "We had seven girls playing their first game in the Calgary opening weekend, so to come away with six points there was huge. Then going to Victoria is always difficult, so to come away with five of six points from that trip was exactly where we wanted to be. We still need three out of four wins to secure the championship, and that starts with taking care of business against Calgary this weekend."
That potential Canada West championship would be UBC's first since 2017, as the T-Birds look to end the Vikes' seven year run and tie Victoria for the most title of all time with 26.
To get there, the 'Birds are relying on a roster that blends veteran experience with dynamic new additions. It's been a proven recipe for wins this season, which Matthews credits to a few key ingredients.
"
Sukhman Hundal has scored three really important goals for us, she is exceeding expectations as a goal scorer," praised the third-year head coach. "In the midfield,
Kenzie Girgis, as captain, has had some really dominant performances leading our attacking momentum. Up front,
Riley Brown has scored two goals in four games,
Sydney Le always stands out.
Mackenna Brown and
Puneet Litt have stepped in and played exceptionally well as first-years too."
UBC has also employed a unique approach to its goalkeeping this year, as fans of the 'Birds flocking to Wright Field should expect to see multiple women between the pipes in each game.
"My philosophy is that you need to play to get better, and we want to make sure that when a senior leaves, the next person is ready to step in and perform right away," mused Matthews.
"We've deployed three goalies already this season.
Kaelen Uy has represented Canada at the U18 level and is the future of the position for us, while
Robyn Goh and
Pascale Pottier represented Canada U21 last year and have been training with the senior national team. We are fortunate to have exceptional goalies and having two of them play not only keeps them both sharp, but also helps make it more difficult for opponents to scout and game plan against us. It's a unique win-win for the team and for the goalies themselves. It's also insurance for an injury as we have multiple options who are 100% ready to play."
The approach has been highly successful so far, as the undefeated T-Birds have yet to allow multiple goals in a game this season.
In their two previous meetings with the Dinos, the blue and gold earned 4-1 and 2-0 victories. Despite the wins, Matthews cautions that Calgary is not a team to be underestimated.
"They'll be tough to beat," said the Canadian Junior National Men's Team head coach. "They surprised us last year at home.
"They're very dangerous on the counterattack and physical on defence. For us, it's about being patient and recognizing that they're a well-structured and well-coached team defensively. We have to be disciplined in our own structure and not turn the ball over and give them opportunities on the counterattack."
The weekend series against the Dinos will be followed by a regular season-ending two-game series against the Victoria Vikes at Wright Field next weekend, which will decide the Canada West Championship.
If UBC wins both games against Calgary in regulation, then a single victory over Victoria, in regulation or a shootout, would clinch the program's first conference championship and appearance at the U SPORTS National Championship in nine years.
"We want Wright Field to be a fortress where we win every game, and the more support we have behind us, the more it motivates the girls," concluded Matthews. "If we can get that support it will help us get over the top and win Canada West in front of our fans and have them celebrate with us."
Tickets are not required to attend Thunderbirds field hockey home games at Wright Field.
