VICTORIA, BC – In a rematch of last year's U SPORTS National Championship, the UBC Thunderbirds opened their 2026 Canada West campaign on the road, falling 43-25 to the University of Victoria Vikes at Wallace Field on Saturday.

Seeking revenge from last year's title bout, the Vikes came out swinging and piled on early. The 'Birds responded with sound defence to piece together some scoring in the second half but couldn't manage to overcome the deficit by the final whistle.
 

 
The Vikes wasted little time to open in this one, as Olivia Newsome battled her way through the 'Birds defence for a pair of tries in the first 10 minutes to hand her side an early 12-0 advantage.

UBC earned their first tally of the day in the 28th minute when a battle of their own led to a penalty, with the subsequent three-point kick putting the 'Birds on the board.

Just as momentum seemed to be turning in favour of the Thunderbirds, the Vikes fought back with a lengthy run. Victoria's Cypress Des Ormeaux Schmidt capitalized on an errant UBC pass, picking up the ball and finding nothing but room to run the final two-thirds of the field for the emphatic try.

Looking to counter, the 'Birds punched in their first try after a series of passes ended in the hands of Angel Boswell, who found a window and plowed through to make it 19-8 heading into the break.
 

 
Both sides tried setting the tone to open the second half, with each gaining ground only to be met with hard hits that forced turnovers. However, the Vikes added to their lead when Des Ormeaux Schmidt put the ball to the boot twice near the half, with the second attempt landing right in front of the try zone. The second-year wing danced around defenders and fell on the ball for her second score of the game. Then, Elle Douglas found daylight just ten minutes later to inflate her team's lead to 29-8 near the 60-minute mark.  

Then the 'Birds began to heat up.

UBC answered by earning their second try just a couple of minutes later. Following a pair of passes out of a scrum, Teniola Epemolu tucked one in just inside the right corner for the score. Alexis Dobson added another shortly after to bring the 'Birds back within nine with 14 minutes to go.



Just as it felt the 'Birds had the wind in their sails, the Vikes stood tall.

UVic's Maddie Grant punched one in off a chip kick following a scrum in the 70th minute. She soon followed with a slice of déjà vu, running practically the same play for another score to regain a firm grip on the lead.
 
The T-Birds managed another try just before the final whistle, but it was too late as the Vikes walked away victorious and earned the 43-25 win.

The UBC Thunderbirds are back in action on home soil for their next matchup, as they take on the University of Calgary Dinos on Saturday, September 19. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. PT at the Gerald McGavin UBC Rugby Centre.
 
SCORING SUMMARY
                1            2            F
VIC        19           24          43
UBC       8            17          25  
       
3' - VIC Try - #15 Olivia Newsome (convert #13 Maggie Mackinnon) 7-0 VIC
10' - VIC Try - #15 Olivia Newsome (convert missed) 12-0 VIC
28' - UBC PG - #10 Sarah MacPherson 12-3 VIC
32' - VIC Try - #11 Cypress Des Ormeaux Schmidt (convert #15 Olivia Newsome) 19-3 VIC
36' - UBC Try - #3 Angel Boswell (convert missed) 19-8 VIC
HALF
48' - VIC Try - #11 Cypress Des Ormeaux Schmidt (convert missed) 24-8 VIC
58' - VIC Try - #10 Elle Douglas (convert missed) 29-8 VIC
62' - UBC Try - #15 Teniola Epemolu (convert missed) 29-13 VIC
66' - UBC Try - #1 Alexis Dobson (convert #10 Sarah MacPherson) 29-20 VIC
70' - VIC Try - #13 Maddy Grant (convert #13 Maddy Grant) 36-20 VIC
75' - VIC Try - #13 Maddy Grant (convert #13 Maddy Grant) 43-20 VIC
80' - UBC Try - #22 Saylor Pickrell (convert missed) 43-25 VIC