The FIFA World Cup may have come and gone, but Vancouver's soccer season is just getting started.

The UBC Thunderbirds Women's soccer team has an exciting few months ahead of them. After adding six recruits this off-season, the new-look 'Birds will be embarking on an international preseason tour before the Canada West season kicks off and will return home to host the U SPORTS National Championship later this fall. With a solid core returning to the roster, several internationally experienced players and a chance at a third national championship in the last four years on home turf, the trip marks the first step in what could be one of the program's most impactful seasons yet.

"We haven't gone on a preseason tour outside of the U.S. since I started here", began head coach Jesse Symons, who is entering his 12th season at the helm. "With us hosting nationals and this being a big season, we felt it was the time to go experience different cultures and put ourselves and our players in a position to learn and grow as we get ready for this exciting year ahead."
 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UBC Women's Soccer (@ubcwsoccer)

This week, between August 12-24, the Thunderbirds will suit up for four games across Portugal and Spain. The blue and gold will take on Torreense in their first match, a surging squad that has been a powerhouse in Portuguese football as of late and even qualified for the Champions League earlier this year. Then they'll travel across the border to take on Granada from Spain's Liga F – the top division in the country – followed by a face-off against Malaga City before ending the trip in the country's capital against another Liga F squad in Madrid CFF.

"It's going to be an exciting experience to compete not only against these top players but be in front of these players, as well as the coaches and the technical directors of these teams, so we're putting our players in a position to be seen as well," noted coach Symons.

With a six-player turnaround from last year's roster, a transatlantic trip is a prime opportunity to build chemistry while also displaying how the off-season additions can bolster this lineup even more.

Forward Shaden Al-Asad and midfielder Felicia Hanisch are two of the newest on the T-Birds roster. Both are joining after gaining valuable professional experience in the Northern Super League, playing for Calgary Wild FC and Ottawa Rapid FC, respectively.  

"They've both played for Canada as well, Shaden at the U15 level and Felicia at the U17 level", mused coach Symons. "They bring a lot of experience, a lot of class in midfield for us, and I'm excited to see how they develop and grow."

A pair of attackers will also be joining UBC for their first year of U SPORTS soccer. Kingston, Ontario native Isobel Bentley, last playing for Railway City FC in the Ontario Premier League, and California product Mia Sieminski, who graduated from Berkley High School with honours and a 4.0 GPA, will both be looking to round out the T-Birds' offensive game this season.

"Mia is a very athletic, talented attacking midfielder/winger. Isobel, a left-footed, pacey winger that fits our identity very well," reflected Symons. "Those four are players we can put right into our lineup and help us from the get-go."

The last two recruits are equally as exciting.
 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UBC Women's Soccer (@ubcwsoccer)

Marilena Spagnolo brings veteran goalkeeping experience to the Thunderbird roster. Entering as a fifth-year transfer, she last played Canadian collegiate soccer for Brock University, where she earned a decorated resume that included being named a 3x OUA All-Star before making the move to play professionally in Europe.
Winger/fullback Nina Rhode is the sixth and final member to round out the T-Birds' newcomers. The Oregon product is making the transfer from the NCAA's D1 University of Portland Pilots and joins the team in her fourth year of eligibility. Head coach Simons believes these two veteran additions will complement his team, not just for their athletic ability but their maturity as well.

Boasting a litany of accolades over the last few years, the Thunderbirds have increasingly set the bar high. Coming off a historic season that saw the team extend their multi-year winning streak to 40 games – not to mention the team didn't allow a goal throughout the entirety of the Canada West regular season – UBC was looking to three-peat the national title but ultimately fell to Montreal in the final. Now, with their tickets already punched by hosting the year-end tournament in the fall, the T-Birds will have their sights set on the program's historic 10th National Championship.

"We're going to challenge ourselves in a lot of ways. Physically with the heat and the humidity, technically and tactically with seeing how these teams keep the ball and how we're going to have to defend and use our mental side to focus and connect", added coach Symons on the European preseason tournament. "Hopefully we can get on the ball and find ways to grow and progress, which is going to be a big task for us this year and what we're going to emphasize – how we can control games from the start to the finish."

The highly anticipated Canada West return of the T-Birds is set for Friday, September 4, when they will hit the road to take on the UBCO Heat with kickoff scheduled for 5:00 p.m. PT.