VICTORIA, B.C. – The UBC Thunderbirds (3-0-1) closed out their four-game road trip to start the season with a 1-1 tie against the University of Victoria Vikes (2-1-1) at Lynn "Buzz" Beecroft Field on Sunday morning.
 
Team captain Kenzie Girgis played hero for the T-Birds as she potted the equalizer in the dying minutes of the match; a timely tally for the fifth-year midfielder's first goal of the Canada West campaign.

After securing the draw to keep their unbeaten record intact to start the year, the 'Birds emerged with an extra point after a 3-1 shootout, an important result for potential tiebreaker purposes down the road.



It was a slow, methodical start for both sides throughout the opening frame, as each offence struggled to solve the opposing backline, leading to just one shot on net apiece in the first 15 minutes.

The stalemate continued as the halftime break approached. In the final minutes, the Vikes earned a penalty corner and looked to deal damage. The ensuing play led to the ball beating T-Bird netminder Pascalle Pottier, but her defenders managed to swipe the ball away before it crossed the goal line, leading to the score remaining at 0-0 heading into the break.



The Vikes began piecing together plays on offence to create chances in the third and finally had their breakthrough in the 45th minute. After UVic was awarded a penalty corner, Antonia Diuana Hodar fired a shot through heavy traffic that settled into the bottom corner of the goal, marking her first of the season while handing the home side a 1-0 lead.

As the game waned, it appeared the 'Birds were staring down their first loss of the season, but Girgis had other ideas. Out of a penalty corner, the ball made its way to the captain's stick, who swiftly rifled it home from point-blank range in the 59th minute to seal a draw for the visitors.



The game headed to a shootout for seeding purposes, where Harnoor Malhi, Sydney Le and Sukhman Hundal found the back of the net, respectively. After entering the game at halftime, fourth-year Robyn Goh stood between the pipes and stopped three of four opportunities to secure the extra point.

With the win, the UBC Thunderbirds claim the top spot in the Canada West standings with four games remaining. The 'Birds will now enter back-to-back bye weeks as they look to prepare for their next pair of games for the first time on the Point Grey campus. Facing off against the University of Calgary Dinos (0-4-0), the first game of the weekend doubleheader is set for Saturday, October 17 at 11:00 a.m. at Wright Field.

SCORING SUMMARY
VIC – Antonia Diuana Hodar, 45', 1-0 VIC
UBC – Kenzie Girgis, 59', 1-1 UBC
 
GOALKEEPERS
VIC - Anais Chace, 60MP, 1 GA
UBC – Robyn Goh, 30MP, 1 GA
UBC – Pascale Pottier, 30MP, 0 GA
 
CARDS
UBC – Puneet Litt, GC, 32'
UBC – Amy Stelling, GC, 55'
VIC – Rebecca Stone, YC, 60'
 
Shootout UBC (3-1)
VIC GK – Anais Chace
UBC GK – Robyn Goh
UBC – Kenzie Girgis, no goal
VIC – Ava Winter, no goal
UBC – Harnoor Malhi, goal
VIC – Julia Boraston, goal
UBC – Sydney Le, goal
VIC – Josie Dunham, no goal
UBC – Sukhman Hundal, goal
VIC – Antonia Hodar, no goal