VANCOUVER, British Columbia – UBC's Jayda Thompson scored twice in the first half as the Trinity Western Spartans fell 3-0 to the UBC Thunderbirds in their Canada West women's soccer semi-final Thursday afternoon at Thunderbird Stadium.
The Spartans, who finished third in the Pacific Division with an 8-4-2 regular-season record, are now 9-5-2 including the Canada West playoffs. Pacific Division champion UBC improved to 15-0-1 after going 13-0-1 in the regular season. TWU will play for bronze Friday, with a berth at the U SPORTS championship still within reach.
Thompson scored in the 10th and 32nd minutes before Maddy Norman added UBC's third in the 81st minute. Norman also assisted on the opening goal, while Felicia Hanisch set up Thompson's second.
Fourth-year forward
Mansha Sidhu (Surrey, B.C.) led TWU with three shots, including the Spartans' only shot on goal.
Fifth-year goalkeeper
Yasmine Pahal (Surrey, B.C.) made one save, denying Norman on a penalty kick in second-half stoppage time. Marilena Spagnolo made one save to earn the shutout for UBC.
UP NEXT
The Spartans will face the loser of Thursday's second semi-final between the Victoria Vikes and Thompson Rivers WolfPack in the Canada West bronze-medal match Friday, November 6, at 1 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST) at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver, B.C. The neutral-site match will be streamed live on Canada West TV (canadawest.tv). The opponent remained undetermined at the time of writing.
With UBC already qualified for the U SPORTS championship as host and advancing to the Canada West final, Friday's bronze-medal winner will also earn a place at the national tournament, November 12-15 in Vancouver.
AS IT HAPPENED
Thompson opened the scoring at 9:59, with Norman's assist. Sidhu recorded TWU's first attempt in the 23rd minute, sending her shot wide left. Thompson doubled the Thunderbirds' lead at 31:40 off an assist from Hanisch. UBC carried its 2-0 advantage into halftime, outshooting TWU 5-1 in the opening 45 minutes.
Midway through the second half Sidhu had an attempt blocked in the 66th minute before fourth-year forward
Luciana Andrews (Coquitlam, B.C.) shot wide left in the 70th. Sidhu tested Spagnolo at 75:13, but the UBC goalkeeper made the save to preserve the two-goal lead.Norman extended UBC's advantage to 3-0 at 80:05 with an unassisted goal. Pahal then stopped Norman's penalty kick in stoppage time after the Spartans were called for a handball in the penalty area. TWU outshot the Thunderbirds 3-2 in the second half but could not find a breakthrough.
NOTABLE
- The Thunderbirds held a 7-4 advantage in total shots, a 4-1 edge in shots on goal and a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks.
- TWU is now 20-38-12 all-time against UBC. The Spartans' Canada West regular-season record against the Thunderbirds remains 12-25-11, as Thursday's match was a postseason contest.
- UBC won all three meetings this fall, following 2-0 regular-season victories September 5 in Langley and September 26 in Vancouver.
- This was the seventh consecutive postseason in which TWU and UBC met.
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track and field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes independently in men's rugby and women's and men's disc golf. Since joining U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 15 U SPORTS team championships and 35 Canada West team championships.
About Trinity Western University
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning and holds three Canada Research Chairs. Through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education, TWU offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate and adult degree-completion programs that equip leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.
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