To open their post-season run, UBC women’s soccer battled with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the Canada West quarterfinals, fighting their way to a spot in the next round with a 1–0 win last Saturday night at Thunderbird Stadium.
The T-Birds entered into their first playoff game following an unprecedented regular season. UBC had their second perfect season in a row, notching a 14–0 record, with every game being a clean sheet — not a single goal allowed. After dominating the competition all season long, they ended sitting at the top of the Pacific Division, and as such, earned the right to host the quarterfinal game against Saskatchewan.
“We take it game by game,” said fourth-year defender Taiya Dennehy. “It’s about the whole team. It’s not about one player. I think we work hard together, and that’s all that matters.”
Saskatchewan — despite having a lower ranking, as they ended their regular season fourth in the Prairie Division— were no lack of an opponent for the Thunderbirds. With an 8–5–1 record, the Huskies were very comfortable in the last playoff spot, as they finished 9 points above Alberta, the next closest team. Saskatchewan also stood out as a threat with how they had competed in some tough matches. This was especially true in their one tie game against the University of Calgary Dinos, the top team in the Prairie Division, who won 11 of their 14 games.
Alongside the end of the regular season, Canada West dropped their all-star and all-rookie teams — which the T-Birds led with eight total selections.
Notably, the ‘Birds chosen were mostly defensive players. Zoelle Apps, Dennehy, Ella Sunde, and goalkeeper Dakota Beckett earned all-star nods, while Heike Clarke and Sophie Harrison both made it onto the all-rookie team. As well, two out of UBC’s many outstanding attacking players were highlighted with Sienna Gibson and Jayda Thompson both making the all-star team after their impressive seasons. The Huskies made it onto the list themselves with one all-star and one all-rookie mention.
First-year defender Sophie Harrison tries to play the ball around the incoming Huskies players. Harrison’s great play earned her a spot on the Canada West all-rookie team. Sidney Shaw / The Ubyssey
“Eight of the 17 all-star spots came our way this year, and for me, it’s been deserved with our season,” said head coach Jesse Symons. “Overall, our starting 11 has been amazing, and full credit to what they’ve achieved this year.”
“I focus more on the team and helping the team. So if I can help the team, then that’s all that matters to me. But obviously, it’s nice to be acknowledged,” said Harrison.
“It’s very important in this league to recognize Canadian players and Canadian girls in soccer. So it’s such an honour alongside my teammates and some of the best girls in Canada in the league,” said Dennehy.
But while the accolades are nice, once you get back on the field, they matter little. With the first game of the Canada West playoffs, everything is at stake for these teams — it is now single-game elimination. The top two teams will make it to nationals, and for the Thunderbirds, this is the first step in the path to defending their back-to-back national championships.
With so much on the line, UBC wasted no time on the attack to start the game. They came onto the field with high energy and a high press — looking to make a statement early.
Under five minutes in, UBC tried to set up some scoring chances, as Gibson broke away with the ball and got into the corner. She used her speed to beat her defender, but another Huskie stepped in to cut her off. As the ball stayed in play, the T-Birds held onto possession, with Ava Alexander getting the ball. She fired it at the net, sailing past the defenders — but Saskatchewan’s goalie was there to save it.
Early in the game, the Huskies tried to push back against UBC’s quick start as they tried to match the T-Birds’ offensive pressure. Saskatchewan got the ball into the box, and as Beckett stepped out to challenge it, she was unable to completely grab it. The ball went loose, with Beckett off her mark, leaving a good chance for the Huskies to score. Before they could capitalize, however, the ever-stout UBC defence was there and cleared it.
Birds goalkeeper Dakota Beckett passes the ball to a teammate. Beckett was solid throughout the game, earning yet another shutout. Sidney Shaw / The Ubyssey
Not long after, UBC made up for that mistake by once again pushing their offensive attack. As Gibson played the ball to Harrison, she made a great touch into the box, with the ball eventually finding its way to Thompson to take a shot that just went wide of the net.
Almost right after, Thompson’s time on the field came to an end. Although she was playing well, she went down on the field and did not return for the rest of the game. The newly-minted all-star is a big part of the T-Birds offence and will hopefully be back for their next game.
Nearing the end of the first half, the Huskies turned on the offensive pressure and put UBC in a tough spot, earning back-to-back corners, with both corners making their way into the box. While the first led to a high shot, the second caused more problems for the Thunderbirds, as Saskatchewan fired the ball right on target. Fortunately for UBC, Beckett was there to block it, and off the bounce, a foul call gave UBC the ball back.
To end the first half the ‘Birds held onto possession — looking to earn a lead before halftime and get on the board. Harrison made a great touch to ‘Birds forward Maddy Norman, who took the ball back to the middle to find Dennehy as they looked to set up a chance. Using their typical ball recycling to continue their pressure in the Huskies end of the pitch, they were able to set up the ball to Gibson in the box — although her shot was a bit too powerful, as it went high and out.
The first half came to an end in a scoreless draw, as both teams battled hard — but no one was able to find the back of the net. This was atypical for UBC. Their past two games against the University of Victoria to close out their regular season saw extremely quick scoring chances — with the T-Birds scoring goals in the first 10 minutes of both games. In this game, however, they were unable to connect time and time again.
“Not every game is going to go 5–0, 6–0. I think it’s about taking it minute by minute,” said Dennehy. “In the change room we talked, calmed down, a little chaotic in the first half, but I think we came out, we knew our mentality, what we wanted to do.”
Setting their sights on the first goal, UBC started the second half with an even more aggressive offensive attack. Just as they dominated possession and shots in the first part of the game — they again began the half with high energy and a high press.
UBC midfielder Sienna Gibson gets a chance up close, but isn’t able to sneak it past Saskatchewan’s keeper. Sidney Shaw / The Ubyssey
Looking to break the deadlock, Sunde took the ball up the field to get something started on offence for the T-Birds. She made a good touch to Alexander, who quickly found Norman on the side, and with a beautiful cross, it made its way to Gibson in front of the net. Gibson took the shot — but the goalie was able to stop it.
When it seemed like UBC was out of luck in their quest to score, Hannah Bains, who subbed in at halftime, was their saving grace. Norman raced up the side and made a beautiful cross right in front of the net. Initially, it seemed like it would just fly by, as no one was there. Yet, then Bains quickly came to the net, adjusted to the ball, and with a phenomenal shot, found the back of the net. The Thunderbirds took the first lead of the game, and Bains earned her second goal of the season in spectacular fashion.
“As a team, we just [have] to keep going and keep pushing. We know goals are going to come with our quality,” said Symons. “Hannah did an amazing job finding a way to get to the ball. Maddy [Norman] got around her player so well out wide and that’s what we need from our attacking players to be purposeful and want to go score.”
Once they had the lead, UBC’s defence stepped up to stop any attempt Saskatchewan hurled at them. Both teams continued to battle hard as there was still plenty of time left in the second half, but neither one was able to connect once again.
As the time was running out, the Huskies needed to be smart and set something up before the game was over. Near the end of the game, the ‘Birds earned a foul — potentially setting up Saskatchewan for a deciding chance in the game. With this golden opportunity, the Huskies played the free kick short — which did not work out in their favour. As a team that needed to press forward and score with little time left, Saskatchewan did not properly capitalize on their last moments of play, and UBC, along with their stellar defence, benefited from that ultimately Saskatchewan error.
Canada West all-star defender Ella Sunde chases down a Saskatchewan player. The star-laden T-Birds will need to take things up a notch as they get further into the playoffs. Sidney Shaw / The Ubyssey
It was a close battle, but the T-Birds ultimately earned the 1–0 win and punched their ticket to the semifinals. With this win, UBC is just one step closer to their goal of returning back to the national championship once again.
“We’re proud to get through this tough match, but all focus turns to next week,” said Harrison. “There’s gonna be two tough matches, but we’ll focus on the first one.”
In the semifinal, the T-Birds will face an even tougher opponent, going up against the Mount Royal University (MRU) Cougars at Ken Woods Field.
“We’ll enjoy this for 30 seconds into the dressing room and then we’ve got to get going,” said Symons. “MRU is a good team … so for me, we’ve got to be a couple notches higher than what we gave today, [find] a little more rhythm as a team. [If] we bring that, we’ll hopefully cause some trouble next weekend.”
First online Nov. 3, 2025, midnight
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