VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds are Canada West champions!

For the second straight year, the conference crown was decided on the final weekend of the season, but this time, the 'Birds emerged victorious. After a back-and-forth start, the blue and gold soared to a 2-0 win over the University of Victoria Vikes to raise the program's first banner since 2017.

Puneet Litt found the back of the net just before the halftime whistle, Maia Lawrence followed with a score early in the third, and netminder Robyn Goh made a flurry of saves in the fourth to seal the T-Birds' third-straight clean sheet.

"I'm extremely proud. This group has had a bit of adversity in the last couple of years; we've come really close the last two. I thought today was a very professional performance, very controlled," reflected third-year UBC head coach Geoff Matthews. "UVic is a very good team. They pushed us in the first quarter; we managed to come out really strong in the next three. So, I'm just really glad they got rewarded for all the work they put in; it's been a long time, and we deserve it."



Neither side was giving an inch in the early going. Taking turns with possession, the only shots on goal came from just inside the 25-yard line, leaving the opening frame scoreless between these two heavyweights.

Defence continued to be the showstopper throughout the second, until Litt forced a turnover and blitzed upfield, building to a great chance from in tight. With a T-Bird crashing the net in front, the first-year forward tried feeding it through traffic, but a brilliant breakup from Vikes' keeper Anais Chace thwarted the chance. However, it wouldn't be much longer until Litt was rewarded for her efforts.

The 'Birds continued to build momentum, and after multiple battles in the circle, earned their second penalty corner of the frame with just 11 seconds to go in the half. A blistering pass found the conference's leading goalscorer, Sukhman Hundal, who rifled a shot that looked as though it was going wide until Litt got her blade on the ball and redirected the shot for the game's opening score, heading into the break with the 'Birds leading 1-0.



The Vikes were eager to respond early in the third. Just a couple of minutes in, the visitors turned defence into offence by shutting down a T-Bird chance on one end before hitting the post from a long-range shot on the other. However, the 'Birds doubled their lead just moments later. Second-year forward Lawrence received a pass down low and wasted no time by swiftly rifling it past the keeper to provide UBC with a bit of breathing room.

The Vikes came close to a tally halfway through the fourth, getting a shot on net after working their way deep into the circle, only for a sprawling pad save from Goh to keep the clean sheet intact.

The Vikes pulled their netminder with just over four minutes to go, putting the pressure in the 'Birds zone the rest of the way but couldn't find an answer, ending with a 2-0 UBC win.


 
"Every single one of our 23-person roster has played. When one's been injured, someone has stepped in, done a role, and been able to be successful," added coach Matthews when reflecting on the unbeaten season. "It's just been an amazing performance as a group. They've really stuck together through adversity and managed a lot of tough situations well."

The victory clinches the first title in nearly a decade for the 'Birds, but there is still one regular-season game left on the schedule. Both sides will return to the pitch for more action on Sunday, October 25, 2026, and will wrap the year with Seniors' Day to celebrate UBC's graduating players. The match begins at 11:00 a.m. at Wright Field.  

Scoring Summary
UBC – Puneet Litt, 30', PC, UBC 1-0
UBC – Maia Lawrence, 34', FG, UBC 2-0

GOALKEEPERS
VIC – Anais Chace, 56 MP, 2 GA
UBC – Pascale Pottier, 30 MP, 0 GA
UBC – Robyn Goh, 30 MP, 0 GA 

CARDS
UBC – Mackenna Brown, GC, 12'
VIC – Antonia Hodar, GC, 46'