LANGLEY, British Columbia –The No. 6 Trinity Western Spartans gave the No. 1 UBC Thunderbirds everything that they could handle but were unable to find the back of the net as the Spartans fell 1-0 to the Thunderbirds Friday night at Chase Office Field in Langley, B.C. The loss drops the Spartans to 8-3-0, while the win keeps the Thunderbirds unbeaten at 11-0-0.
Scoring the lone goal for the Thunderbirds was Sienna Gibson, with her sixth of the season.
Yasmine Pahal made one save in the Spartans' loss. UBC's Dakota Beckett made eight saves in the Thunderbirds' win.
UP NEXT
The Spartans will now match up with the Victoria Vikes tomorrow at Chase Office Field in Langley, B.C. Match time is set for 5 p.m. (PT) and can be seen live on CanadaWest.TV.
QUOTABLE
Graham Roxburgh, TWU Head Coach
"Not the result we wanted, very disappointed to lose. When we play UBC, we know they've got some weapons and are tough to play against. A clinical finish from their player, it is just unfortunate because we were in full possession, we just missed a pass, but probably didn't get into a rest defence, which is what we call it, or a shape that allowed us to deal with a transition moment."
"It's unlucky because I didn't think they generated a lot in the second half. I thought the first half was relatively even, but I thought we were in the ascendancy. I really love our team's character. Tonight, our work rate was excellent. I think we generated some chances. You know, we were unlucky to have hit the crossbar, and their keeper made two fantastic saves. ?These games are tight. I think the best part tonight was that we were in a battle, and we showed that we can show up."
AS IT HAPPENED
After a scoreless first half, the Thunderbirds opened the scoring in the 59th minute. UBC's Victoria Conkhite sent Gibson in alone on the TWU net. Gibson got to the middle of the box and put a low shot into the left side of the Spartan net to put the Thunderbirds up 1-0.
TWU looked like they had a tying goal in the 74th minute. The Spartans' fourth-year forward
Sophie Crowther (New Westminster, B.C.) had a free kick from the far-left side of the pitch. Crowther hit the ball to the centre of the penalty area, where it bounced high toward the top right corner, where the Thunderbirds' Beckett was able to leap and deflect the ball out of play to retain the UBC 1-0 lead. Through the remainder of the match, TWU continued to threaten the UBC goal, but were unable to get the equalizer.
NOTABLE
- The Spartans outshot the Thunderbirds 13-2 in total shots, and 8-2 in shots on goal.
- Both teams finished with five in corners.
- Last week, the Spartans defeated the UNBC Timberwolves twice in Prince George, B.C., 5-0 on Friday and 4-0 on Sunday afternoon.
- Last weekend the UBC Thunderbirds remained unbeaten with a 4-0 win over the UBC Okanagan Heat and a 2-0 win over the Thompson Rivers WolfPack at home in Vancouver, B.C.
- The Spartans are currently 19-34-12 lifetime against the Thunderbirds. TWU's last win over UBC was 1-0 (6-5PK) in the Canada West final on November 3, 2023. Earlier this year the Spartans lost to the Thunderbirds 1-0 on August 23 in Vancouver.
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 11 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as in the NAIA in track and field and cross country and as an independent team in men's rugby and women's and men's disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 14 U SPORTS team championships and 33 Canada West team championships.
About Trinity Western University
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning, holds three Canada Research Chairs, and wins national championships in U SPORTS. More importantly, lives are changed at TWU through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education. With a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree-completion programs, TWU equips leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.
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