After a surprisingly close quarterfinal against Saskatchewan UBC women’s soccer beat the Mount Royal University (MRU) Cougars 2–1 last Thursday at Ken Woods Field, opening the Canada West semifinals. While they got the win in the end, it was a tough matchup. They conceded their first goal of the season since Oct. 18, 2024. Even in the midst of that first goal against, their defence was once again their saving grace, coming through in the final moments to clinch the win.
“It’s great to be at home in front of so many fans. We [had] the mindset today from the get-go to get after them, and it was good to get up 2–0 and sort of have that game in our way,” said UBC’s head coach Jesse Symons. “Unfortunately, they got one back, and we had to work hard to finish it off. But we’ve been doing that all season, so it’s really good to see that.”
In some ways, there was more riding on the semifinals for UBC, as the top two teams in Canada West automatically secure a spot in the U Sports Women’s Soccer Championship. For the T-Birds, who always have their sights set on the national title, this was a do-or-die game — with even more on the line as back-to-back defending champions, attempting to go for the first-ever three-peat. But heading into this one, the national title was the furthest thing from the minds of the team.
The ‘Birds celebrate after a goal. UBC kept their dominant season alive against MRU, with dreams of a three-peat still alive by booking their ticket to nationals. Sidney Shaw / The Ubyssey
“As a team, we love to take each game one game at a time,” said UBC forward Maddy Norman. “From the beginning of the season till now, we’ve just grown so much, from the back of the field all the way up to the front.”
In their quarterfinal game, UBC came out on top after a tight battle against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies — a 1–0 win, as the T-Birds struggled to connect on offence. As they turned to face MRU, it was clear they had to show a much-improved game and step things up a notch.
The Cougars, on the other hand, faced off against the UBC Okanagan Heat in their quarterfinal matchup, walking away with a 2–0 victory. Their late offensive payoff in the 77th and 88th minutes allowed them to earn the win and make it to the next round.
Because of their stellar regular season, UBC hosted the Canada West Final Four, with both semifinals and the final being played at Ken Woods Field. With no upsets in the post-season, perhaps unsurprisingly, the top two teams in both divisions made it into the semifinals.
UBC, after going 14–0 in the regular season, landed at the top of the Pacific Division. MRU also had a good season, finishing with a solid 10–3–1 record. Despite that, Mount Royal was not able to secure the top spot in the Prairie Division, coming in second to their in-city rivals, the University of Calgary Dinos. This game marked MRU women’s soccer’s first time in program history to be in the Canada West Final Four, and although they did not make it any farther than the semifinals, they put up quite the fight.
Notably, before the Final Four kicked off, Canada West announced their major awards for the season — which UBC dominated. Sophie Harrison, a first-year defender, was named rookie of the year, Ella Sunde, a fourth-year, was named defender of the year, and Symons, for the third year in a row, was named coach of the year. Not to be left out, MRU earned their own nod, as third-year forward Tamara Djurisic was named player of the year.
“It feels amazing … I got quite a [few] points this season, and that’s all because of my teammates,” said Sunde. “The coaches, they have to vote you in, so it feels good to get that. Especially since I’m graduating this year. It’s a nice farewell.”
“Sunde has been an amazing player for us from the beginning, leading our team as a captain this year … and I was really proud of her for getting that award,” said Symons. “We’ve got it now three years in a row … It’s something we really live by, and hopefully that continues in the future for us.”
Building off the positive momentum from their Canada West awards, right from the first whistle, the Thunderbirds were fired up, as they looked to come out stronger offensively than their last game against Saskatchewan. Less than a minute in, Sienna Gibson immediately took advantage of open space to take the ball into the middle, and with a great touch, got the ball to Norman, who fired a shot just wide. UBC’s vicious attack had already started.
Yet while the UBC offence started quickly, so did MRU. The Cougars tested ‘Birds keeper Dakota Beckett and the T-Birds’ defence early, with the Cougars looking to keep up with UBC and make it a battle. Both teams are incredibly strong offensively, both ranking in the top 15 countrywide in goals. Looking to showcase their talents, after MRU earned a free kick in close range, Gabrielle Linford took a shot towards the ‘Birds’ goal, but Beckett was ready in net, surging forward to block the ball and hit it out of the box.
The Thunderbirds started to hold possession as the first half went on. Continuing their high press, they kept most of the action in the Cougars’ end, recycling the ball as they looked to connect.
Gibson once again set up her teammates in front of the net, with a great ball just outside the box. Harrison raced to it as MRU’s keeper Ella Filek also surged forward to challenge, diving on the ball right as Harrison got to it, taking her down.
UBC midfielder Taiya Dennehy runs after the ball. While the T-Birds couldn’t capitalize on their chances early, the sustained offence pressure represented an improvement from their quarterfinal game against Saskatchewan. Sidney Shaw / The Ubyssey
Because of her collision with Harrison, Filek earned a yellow card and UBC had another free kick in close range. Gibson stepped up to take the free kick and played the ball short to Harrison again. Harrison tried to get the shot off, but the Cougars’ defence quickly closed in to block the ball, being cleared out to Taiya Dennehy, as the T-Birds once again could not find the net off a chance from up close.
Near the end of the first half, MRU got a few shots on net, hoping to take a lead before halftime. Getting the ball in the corner just outside UBC’s box, Mount Royal’s Madeleine Albert launched a well-placed ball in front of the net. As the ‘Birds struggled to clear it, the ball bounced around in a dangerous area before Djurisic got a foot on it — forcing a save by Beckett, who dove to stop it. Right after, the Cougars got another ball into the box, but this time it was headed high for an easy save.
With only a few minutes left in the first half and the game still scoreless, it would be the Thunderbirds to finally connect and take the lead. Gibson, who had been a great playmaker in the midfield all game, placed a beautiful ball to find Norman attacking the net. Norman played it smartly, making the extra touch over to Ava Alexander in the box for the tap-in — a beautiful scoring play by UBC to get their first point on the board. The precise way the T-Birds worked in concert for that goal showcased their team’s chemistry — knowing where to be on the field and how to set up their teammates.
“We’ve learned so much about one another, where we want the ball, kind of how to work together,” said Norman. “I can always trust Ava to put the ball in the back of the net. So as soon as I saw her making that run, I just knew right away to play it to her.”
Ava Alexander scores a goal. The T-Birds, as one of the top-scoring offences in the country, had no issues taking the lead against Mount Royal. Sidney Shaw / The Ubyssey
By taking a 1–0 lead into the half, the T-Birds offence was already much improved from their showing against Saskatchewan, where they were unable to find the net until well into the second half. However, this didn’t mean they were out of the woods. MRU was keeping themselves in it, sticking with their offence, matching UBC’s pressure and attack — with both teams taking 5 shots in the first half. It was still a tight game.
But not for long. UBC kept the momentum going to start the second half off strong, coming out on fire after their end-of-half goal, quickly earning their second goal of the match in the first five minutes of the second half.
Dennehy took the ball forward for the T-Birds, starting the attack by passing it to Sunde. Sunde raced to the net, but could not quite hold on to it — The ball went to MRU, as Filek played it short to their defender. However, as the ball rolled to the MRU player, Alexander flew in to challenge, managing to knock the ball away from them. UBC’s Sofia Peckenpaugh — who had just subbed on at half — saw their chance to jump on the open ball. With a great touch, she set up Holly Whelan at the top of the box, who fired a beautiful shot over the keeper to put UBC up 2–0.
This was the second game in a row that a player who subbed on at half quickly made a difference for the ‘Birds. The T-Birds bench is incredibly strong, and having proven themselves throughout the season in every opportunity they’ve had. Every player on the team that comes onto the field gives it their all, as anyone can step up and be the game-changer the team needs at any moment.
Sofia Peckenpaugh goes for the ball. Peckenpaugh is part of a strong T-Birds bench — being a major contributor against MRU. Sidney Shaw / The Ubyssey
As the second half continued, UBC did not slow down — on both sides of the pitch. Applying pressure to the Cougars as soon as they had the ball, Peckenpaugh hustled to sneak in and steal the ball from a MRU defender, passing it over to Alexander. While she managed to fire off a shot, the ball was saved by Filek.
Nearing the end of the second half — the Cougars managed the impossible. As they held possession, looking to strike against UBC, Cougars defender Isabella Chirico got the ball, and as MRU played it back, she fired a long ball right into the box. Djurisic surged in with UBC defender Heike Clarke on her hip, and as Beckett came to challenge, Djurisic was able to get a header on it to connect and find the back of the net. UBC’s streak of 22 consecutive shutout victories was over.
Realistically, someone was going to eventually score on the Thunderbirds — and who else but the Canada West player of the year — one of the top offensive players all season — to finally manage the impossible. Djurisic racked up the stats this season, co-leading conference in scoring with nine goals and setting the program record for most goals in a single season. She also became the program’s all-time leading scorer and led MRU’s offence in all major statistical categories.
After letting in a goal for the first time in more than a year, UBC strengthened their defence for the rest of the second half. They held firm as the play went back and forth between both teams — keeping the Cougars at bay, not allowing them to gain momentum after the rare goal against. The Thunderbirds did not allow a single shot by MRU after the goal, closing out the game with a 2–1 win.
“[MRU] really wanted it, and they played really well. They have such great threatening players who can break us in behind,” said Sunde. “I was really proud with how the team defended and how we pressed … we got to [it] and we held on to it, and we didn’t stop all the way down to the final minute.”
Although it likely stung to have lost their clean sheet streak, the T-Birds can still boast that they did not allow a single goal in the regular season. The win itself also certainly made up for the lost streak, as UBC officially punched their ticket to nationals, the goal they had been working toward all season. But before they head to Hamilton for the U Sports championship, they still have one more game to play — the Canada West finals.
“It’s really exciting to be going back to Nationals again … and that feeling just really gives us a lot of energy for even the Can[ada] West final tomorrow,” said Norman.
“Can[ada] West championships are important. It’s a privilege to be in the game, and we’re really excited to be, obviously going to nationals, but more so competing for a Canada West banner in our conference, because it’s so strong,” said Symons.
In the other Canada West semifinal, the Trinity Western University Spartans played the University of Calgary Dinos, earning their own spot in the final after a tough battle against Calgary, ending with the Spartans beating Calgary 3–2 on penalties after a scoreless game. While the T-Birds have beaten the Spartans twice already this season, both were tight, highly contested games, with UBC squeaking out a 1–0 victory both times. In order to secure their 18th Canada West title, UBC will have to beat Trinity Western one more time.
“Canada West finals, we’re ready to go,” said Sunde. “We’ll get a good night’s sleep tonight, and then just be so ready tomorrow and come out flying.”
First online Nov. 10, 2025, midnight
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