LANGLEY, B.C. – The U SPORTS No.1-ranked UBC Thunderbirds (2-0-0) shut down the No.6-ranked Trinity Western Spartans (1-1-0) in a 2-0 win at Chase Field on Saturday evening, capping a superb season-opening weekend.
The T-Birds scored as many goals as they allowed shots on target, with their record streak of perfect regular season play now reaching almost three calendar years and their unprecedent regular season clean sheet streak at over 22 months and counting.
"It was a big six-point weekend on the road," reflected UBC head coach
Jesse Symons. "We played two strong teams and just really put our personality on the game."
The blue and gold opened the scoring in the 27
th minute when
Hannah Bains sprung speedster
Jayda Thompson with an immaculate through ball past two Spartans defenders. The fifth-year forward then deftly dribbled around the keeper, stop on a dime on the goal line to the right of the net, and threaded a perfect pass to
Maddy Norman, as she curled into the box. Without breaking stride, Norman blasted her first touch into the roof of the Trinity Western goal to complete the lovely play and notch her first tally of the young season.
10 minutes later, the T-Birds were pressing for more. After earning three free kicks in a 71-second span, the 'Birds twice headed a dangerous ball around the box before it found the foot of first-year Shaden Al-Hasad. She made no mistake in burying her first-ever UBC goal from point blank range, drawing massive hugs of celebration from her beaming teammates.
The T-Birds' signature smothering defence was on full display the rest of the way. They continued to create dangerous opportunities late into the second half, and were unlucky not to build their lead after multiple near-misses, while only allowing keeper
Emma Sparrow to be tested twice.
Ultimately, the score remained unchanged through the final 50-plus minutes, with the match ending as a solid 2-0 win.
"Seeing our young players like
Felicia Hanisch, Mia Sieminiski, and Shaden Al-Hasad come in and make an immediate impact has been exciting," added Symons.
"I also can't say enough about
Maddy Norman and
Jayda Thompson controlling the front line and really influencing the games this weekend. They scored big goals and were electric from start to finish."
The T-Birds continue their season-opening road trip next weekend, ahead of the highly-anticipated home opener on September 18
th. Next up is a trip to the valley to take on the UFV Cascades on Friday, September 11
th at 5:30 p.m. (PT) at Rotary Stadium.
