KELOWNA, B.C. – Fresh off a successful and enriching Iberian preseason trip, the Thunderbirds aim to start their Canada West banner defence on the right foot with a pair of road games this weekend.
Following a week where the T-Birds took on a quartet of professional squads in exhibition matches, including Spanish Liga F sides Real Betis and Madrid CFF, the blue and gold will aim to take what they learned and apply it to clashes against more familiar opposition.
"It was a trip that we will remember for a long time," reflected UBC head coach Jesse Symons. "To be put into the Portuguese and Spanish cultures and really have the opportunity to connect with the team so much in the countries was such an amazing experience. We were able to really get everyone in and play and build a strong foundation for the season."
First up is a trip to Kelowna to take on UBC Okanagan on Friday, September 4, before heading nearly all the way back to Vancouver for a battle against rivals Trinity Western the following evening.
The T-Birds will play their first four conference games away from home, not taking the field on the Point Grey campus until September 18. But rather than seeing it as a negative, Symons instead chooses to focus on the positive aspects of their schedule alignment.
"Each team in the division can push us in different ways and I am excited to get going," he said. "With the travel we have done and experience we have it allows our team to get connected more as we lead towards the season. Early travel means we are home later in the season as well, and with their school schedules getting busier it works out very well as we lead into October and November."
Following a record-breaking 2025 campaign that saw the Thunderbirds win all 14 of their regular season games without conceding a single goal, it will be no easy feat to try and hit the same standard once again this year. But while there are certainly some key players from last year's squad who have since departed, there is still plenty of talent in the fold.
In addition to an
impressive recruiting class, the T-Birds can welcome striker
Bailey Doerksen and fullback
Sophia Ferreira back to the pitch, with the two standout athletes available to make an impact once again after missing all of last year due to injury.
Veteran midfielders
Taiya Dennehy and
Holly Whelan continue to patrol the middle of the park, after both of them started every game last season.
Sienna Gibson – normally the third piece of that trifecta – will miss the opening weeks of the season due to earning the opportunity to represent Canada at the upcoming
FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, meaning there will be extra starts and minutes to go around for the rest of T-Birds' midfielders.
The Thunderbirds also boast plenty of young talent at the back, a group that includes reigning Canada West Rookie of the Year
Sophie Harrison, as well as second-year
Heike Clarke and third-year
Zoelle Apps who were a dominant centre-back pairing last season.
"There will be lots of internal competition and a focus on pushing each other on the field to really perform at a high level," added Symons. "We have so much depth this year and everyone will want to contribute. I am excited to see how we react each and every match and how the players celebrate and push each other as we lead to nationals."
Building towards nationals is a focal point for this season, with the T-Birds set to host the 2026 U SPORTS Women's Soccer Championship from November 12 to 15 inside Thunderbird Stadium. After falling short of what would have been a three-peat in last fall's national championship final, all eyes are on the opportunity to lift what would be the program's 10th national title at home.
First, though, UBC aims to get off to a winning start in Canada West play, beginning in Kelowna on Friday. You can watch the defending conference champions in action on
CanadaWest.tv.
