VANCOUVER – Following yet another dominant Canada West season, the UBC Thunderbirds have earned some serious hardware, led by Maddy Norman who has been ordained the 2026 Women's Soccer Player of the Year.

Joining the third-year striker are teammate and co-captain, Sophia Ferreira, who is the Defensive Player of the Year while Jesse Symons has earned his fourth consecutive Canada West Coach of the Year award.

Putting together one of the most impactful offensive performances in conference history, Norman joins a long list of Thunderbirds greats to be named the top player in the Canada West.

Tying the single-season conference record with 22 points, the third-year from Surrey topped the conference with 14 goals and tied UBC's program record with six game winners. Norman's point total was nine clear of the second highest in the conference while she also led the way in total shot attempts with 72 and shots on target with 33.



"When you look back to the last half of her second year and now this her third year, it's been pretty hard to beat in terms of a start to a career here at UBC," said Symons. "Seeing her tie the Canada West record for points in a season is something she's going to be very proud of and obviously her teammates are too, all of whom were big parts of that. She's very well deserved of the recognition – she was just on another level this year and I'm really excited to see her postseason performance."

Perhaps most impressive was Norman's consistency – she managed to find the scoresheet in 12 of 14 regular season contests with multiple points on six occasions.

Starting all 14 regular season games and playing all but seven minutes on the pitch, Norman has begun her Canada West playoff run where she left off, scoring the only goal in UBC's 1-0 quarter-final win over MacEwan, pushing the 'Birds into this weekend's Final Four hosted at Thunderbird Stadium starting Thursday afternoon.



Returning from injury to co-captain the T-Birds for her fifth and final season, Sophia Ferreira is the 2026 Canada West Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Year.

UBC allowed just two goals against on the year with Ferreira leading the stingiest defence in the Canada West. The Coquitlam, B.C. product was also impactful on the attack, leading all Canada West defenders with five goals.

"For Sophia to come back after tearing her ACL and having the season she's had, it was exactly what we wanted to showcase for her," said Symons. "Being part of a defensive unit that only allowed two goals in 14 games is simply incredible. She also scored five goals of her own so, for me, she outscored opponents 5-2 this year as a defender and it just showcases what she's capable of both from an attacking perspective and a defending perspective.

"Her leadership as a captain of the team with Taiya has been unbelievable. I'm really proud of her return to play, I think you have to give a lot of credit to Amanda and Mel and our IST team in terms of the support that got her back to this level. Full credit to Soph on her season and obviously we have a very good defensive mindset as a team but she's been such a huge part of that."



Ferreira has kept up her prowess at both ends of the pitch to begin UBC's postseason, setting up the game winning goal in the 'Birds' quarter-final victory over MacEwan.

Ferreira is the fourth straight Thunderbird to earn the conference's Defensive Player of the Year honour, joining former teammates Sarah Rollins, Jacqueline Tyrer and Ella Sunde.

Leading his squad to an unprecedented third consecutive undefeated season, Symons' Coach of the Year award marks his fourth total (and fourth in a row) with the 'Birds, matching legendary former bench boss Dick Mosher.

"Jesse's unparalleled success isn't by accident, it's a deserving result of his dedication and vision for his program," said UBC Managing Director of Athletics, Kavie Toor. "As amazing as his accomplishments have been on the pitch, his dedication to developing a positive community well beyond the UBC campus is admirable. His work with community organizations across the province has had a meaningful impact for many young players and their families all while helping guide his own players into true leaders. We're so proud of Jesse's continued success and can't wait to cheer on him and the T-Birds as they host the 2026 U SPORTS National Championship!"



Finishing the regular season 13-0-1, the T-Birds topped the conference with 45 goals while allowing just two against, earning first in the overall standings for a fifth straight year.

Guiding the 'Birds to U SPORTS National Championship titles in 2019, 2023 and 2024, Symons now boasts a conference record of 109-13-16, becoming the fastest coach in Canada West history to hit triple digit victories.

Gunning for a third straight Canada West title this weekend, Symons and the T-Birds are set to host the 2026 U SPORTS National Championship tournament starting November 12 at Thunderbird Stadium.

Kickoff for UBC's semifinal battle vs their perennial rival Trinity Western Spartans is set for 4:00 p.m. Thursday, November 5 at Thunderbird Stadium. The winner will advance to Friday's conference title game against either Thompson Rivers and Victoria who battle it out Thursday evening.

Tickets for UBC's Thursday semifinal vs the Spartans are available online now or at the door while the game will also be streamed live on Canada West TV.


2026 Canada West Women's Soccer Major Awards

Player of the Year
Maddy Norman, UBC

Rookie of the Year
Brooke Miller, Mount Royal

Defensive Player of the Year
Sophia Ferreira, UBC

Student-Athlete Community Service Award
Sophie Crowther, Trinity Western

Coach of the Year
Jesse Symons, UBC