VANCOUVER – After opening their season with four games on the road, the nation's top-ranked UBC Thunderbirds (6-0-0) continue their five-game homestand with a pair of contests at Thunderbird Stadium this weekend.

The T-Birds open the two-game set on Friday, September 25, against the University of Fraser Valley Cascades (2-2-2) before taking on the ninth-ranked Trinity Western University Spartans (3-1-2) the following day.

This weekend also marks the latest chance for UBC to continue getting acclimatized to their home arena, a pitch they will see plenty of to close out the year as the team hosts the U SPORTS National Championship in November.

"Our objective is to really understand our stadium and our field, and we take pride in playing at home," said UBC head coach Jesse Symons. "For us, we're trying to really understand how to win at UBC and compete. This weekend will be a very good test against two strong teams."



This will be the second time the 'Birds have faced off against these mainland squads, earning a 2-0 win over TWU before blanking UFV 5-0 less than a week later. In both contests, the 'Birds dealt damage early, with all seven of those goals coming in the first half.

Starting strong has been a trend for the blue and gold, as the 'Birds have held a lead heading into halftime in each of their first five games. That flipped this past weekend against their Vancouver Island rival, the University of Victoria Vikes (0-1-3).

The 'Birds were held scoreless in the opening 45 minutes for the first time this season, but the squad was not deterred. They continued to press in the second half against one of the conference's best defensive teams and pulled out a 2-0 victory for their sixth straight win.



With the T-Birds now knowing what to expect from both clubs this weekend, Symons says they've been eyeing these games as another opportunity to set the tone early.

"After our four games away, we came in and really jumped on UBCO and had to fight through a good block of Uvic," began Symons. "We had that home-opening weekend circled, and full credit to the team. But we've also circled this weekend as well, to really jump on these two teams that we play for the last time this year. Hopefully we can have another quick start and sort of roll through the weekend."

Highlighting the T-Birds' offence throughout has been third-year striker Maddy Norman. Continuing her strong form after earning BioSteel Player of the Week honours to open the campaign, the leading scorer for the blue and gold is currently standing at six goals and five assists through the first six games. Right behind her is third-year midfielder Bailey Doerksen, who has added three goals and four assists to start the year.



The Thunderbirds have received contributions throughout – what feels like – their entire lineup this season. Boasting an embarrassment of riches, the team has seen scores from 11 different T-Birds, coming from defenders, midfielders and forwards alike.

Symons pointed to that depth as one of the team's biggest strengths. Not only is the volume of scoring impressive, but the various ways the 'Birds have been finding the back of the net have proven the squad's versatility on multiple occasions.

"[Doerksen] has found her stride now after being off last year. [Norman] has really continued her form from the last half of the season last year; the fullbacks are scoring. We're scoring on set pieces with center backs. Obviously, Bailey and Ella have been scoring in a sort of attacking midfielder role, and then our front three have all been scoring. Everyone's hungry to get on the score sheet for us, and I think that's what makes our team difficult to defend."



That depth radiates between the posts as well, as Emma Sparrow and Marilena Spagnolo have both been defensive anchors in net. With the program's remarkable clean sheet streak currently standing at 21-straight Canada West games – dating back to the 2024-2025 season – coach Symons knows he doesn't have to dwell on who he turns to on any given game day.

"Year after year we've really shown that our goalkeepers are big parts of our program. [Sparrow] and [Spagnolo] have both been fantastic this season," mused Symons. "[Sparrow] really stepped up to start the year, and it's great to have [Spagnolo] back now. We trust both of them in the net for us."

The UBC T-Birds open the weekend against the UFV Cascades at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, September 25, before suiting up against the TWU Spartans at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 26,  with both games taking place at Thunderbird Stadium. You can keep up with the action on CanadaWest.tv.