LANGLEY, British Columbia - After an overtime victory secured their return to nationals, the Trinity Western Spartans will face an unbeaten Ottawa Gee-Gees team Thursday in the opening quarter-final of the 2026 U SPORTS women's soccer championship at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver.
 
The sixth-seeded Spartans and third-seeded Gee-Gees kick off at 11 a.m. (PT), with a place in Friday's championship semifinal at stake. Both programs are making their 18th national championship appearance. TWU is seeking its sixth national title and first since 2013, while Ottawa is pursuing its third title and first since 2018.
 
Trinity Western enters nationals at 10-5-2 in Canada West regular-season and playoff matches after finishing third in the Pacific Division at 8-4-2 and going 2-1 in the playoffs to claim bronze. Ottawa is unbeaten at 14-0-1 in Ontario University Athletics regular-season and playoff competition after finishing first in the OUA East at 11-0-1 and winning all three playoff matches to capture the conference title.
 
The matchup brings together two programs with a national championship history against one another. All three previous meetings have come at nationals, including Ottawa's 2-1 victory in the 2018 final. TWU will be looking to even the series and advance to the final four for a second consecutive season.
 
HOW THE SPARTANS GOT HERE
TWU's road to Vancouver included a 2-1 quarter-final victory at Mount Royal, a 3-0 semifinal loss to UBC and a 2-1 overtime win over Victoria in the bronze-medal match. With UBC hosting nationals, the bronze-medal result secured the Spartans' place in the eight-team field.
 
Fifth-year midfielder Kylie Hendricks (Maple Ridge, B.C.) delivered the deciding goal against Victoria, sending a looping header into the net in the 96th minute from a corner by fourth-year forward Lianna Holz (Richmond, B.C.). The winner came after the Vikes had erased TWU's lead in second-half added time.
 
Fourth-year forward Luciana Andrews (Coquitlam, B.C.) opened the scoring in the ninth minute from a low cross by fourth-year forward Mansha Sidhu (Surrey, B.C.). TWU finished with advantages of 20-8 in shots, 8-5 in shots on goal and 12-8 in corner kicks, and held Victoria without a shot in the first overtime period.
 
HOW THE GEE-GEES GOT HERE
Ottawa finished first in the OUA East with an unbeaten 11-0-1 regular-season record, scoring 59 goals and allowing four. Its only dropped points came in a scoreless home draw with Carleton on September 25. The Gee-Gees enter nationals on an eight-match winning streak, with a 14-0-1 record across league and playoff competition.
 
The Gee-Gees opened the OUA playoffs with a 4-0 quarter-final victory over Ontario Tech on October 24 before defeating York 2-1 in the October 31 semifinal to secure their national championship berth. Ottawa then travelled to Guelph for the November 7 conference final and handed the Gryphons their first loss after 14 consecutive victories.
 
A 76th-minute own goal following an Ottawa corner decided the 1-0 final. The Gee-Gees held Guelph without a shot on target and finished with a 6-4 advantage in shots and a 7-6 edge in corner kicks. Ottawa outscored its three playoff opponents 7-1 to capture its 13th OUA championship and fourth in five seasons, adding the 2026 title to victories in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
 
SPARTANS TO WATCH
Sidhu leads TWU with eight goals and four assists across conference and playoff competition. She scored seven times during the regular season and supplied the late free-kick winner at Mount Royal to send the Spartans to the Canada West final four. Her four game-winning goals through the playoffs give TWU a proven finisher in close matches.
 
Fifth-year forward Sophie Crowther (New Westminster, B.C.) tied for the Canada West lead with eight regular-season assists and paced the Spartans with 11 points. Crowther and Sidhu earned Pacific Division All-Star honours, while Crowther also received the conference's Student-Athlete Community Service Award.
 
Crowther enters nationals as TWU's career Canada West points leader with 59 and its overall career assists leader with 46. Her ability to create chances will be important against an Ottawa side that has allowed only five goals in 15 league and playoff matches.
 
Andrews has seven goals and one assist through the conference playoffs, including a goal in each of TWU's two postseason victories. Hendricks' bronze-medal winner and Holz's assist added further attacking options for a team that has scored 28 goals in 17 league and playoff matches.
 
At the other end, fifth-year goalkeeper Yasmine Pahal (Surrey, B.C.) recorded eight regular-season shutouts and a 0.79 goals-against average. She has played every minute of TWU's conference and playoff schedule, making 47 saves with a 0.92 goals-against average over 1,560 minutes. Pahal made four saves against Victoria, including two in the second overtime period.
 
SCOUTING THE GEE-GEES
Across the regular season and playoffs, Ottawa has outscored its opponents 66-5 and posted 11 clean sheets. The Gee-Gees combine a high-scoring attack with a defence that conceded only once in three OUA playoff matches.
 
Fourth-year forward Sabrina Mangiaracina (Ottawa, Ont.), the OUA East Player of the Year, leads an attack with threats throughout the lineup. She produced 16 goals and 10 assists in 12 league matches. Third-year midfielder Celina Bensebaa (Ottawa, Ont.) added five goals and set the OUA single-season assists record with 13.
 
Fifth-year forward Gracie Somers (Bedford, N.S.) and fifth-year midfielder Élianne Gervais (Gatineau, Que.) each finished the regular season with seven goals and five assists. Third-year goalkeeper Laura Salgado (Ottawa, Ont.) recorded the shutout in the OUA final and was named player of the match.
 
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
Thursday will be the fourth meeting between TWU and Ottawa, with the Spartans holding a 1-2 record. Trinity Western won their first encounter 3-0 in the 2014 national semifinal in Québec City. Ottawa won the 2018 championship match 2-1 on its home field and took the most recent meeting 1-0 in the 2022 quarter-final in Québec City.
 
The Spartans are making their sixth consecutive trip to nationals. TWU has won five gold medals, five silver medals and two bronze medals, with national titles in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2013. The Spartans most recently reached the final in 2023 and shared bronze with Laval last season after the medal match was cancelled because of snow.
 
Ottawa is also making its 18th national championship appearance. The Gee-Gees have won two national titles, in 1996 and 2018, along with four silver medals and six bronze medals.
 
NOTABLE

• Tournament seeding and national rankings are separate: TWU is seeded sixth and Ottawa third for this championship. In the November 5 U SPORTS Elo rankings, the Spartans were seventh and the Gee-Gees third.
• TWU head coach Graham Roxburgh is in his 28th season. Ottawa head coach Steve Johnson was named the 2026 OUA East Coach of the Year.
• All tournament matches will be played at Thunderbird Stadium, where TWU played both of its Canada West medal-round matches last week.

 
UP NEXT
A TWU victory Thursday would send the Spartans to Friday's 4 p.m. (PT) championship semifinal against the winner of No. 2 Montréal and No. 7 Thompson Rivers. A quarter-final loss would put TWU in Friday's 11 a.m. (PT) consolation semifinal against the loser of that match.
 
Sunday's fifth-place match begins at 10 a.m. (PT), followed by the bronze-medal match at 12:30 p.m. and the national final at 4 p.m. A championship semifinal appearance guarantees a Sunday medal match; a consolation semifinal victory earns a place in the fifth-place match. Coverage is available on CBC Sports digital platforms and CBC Gem.
 
QUOTABLE
Graham Roxburgh, TWU Head Coach, on returning to nationals following the championship draw:
"Getting to USPORTS nationals is always an important goal for our program and something we don't take for granted. At this point in the season, you are always going to be matched up against the country's best teams, and it is a privilege to yet again be amongst that group. I am really proud of our team and the way they have handled adversity all year long, so to still be playing on the last week of the season is special
 
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in nine sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball and hockey, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes in NAIA within the Cascade Collegiate Conference in men's and women's track and field and cross country, as well 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 15 U SPORTS team championships, 35 Canada West team championships and one Cascade Collegiate Conference championship.
 
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 CIS 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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