With four coaches in the last six years, UBC has lacked a consistent voice on the floor. Now, veteran coach Dave Taylor is looking to be that reliable presence.
For the first 45 minutes, the impossible looked real. Canada, a World Cup minnow, was outplaying a top-ten side, Morocco. But in the second half, as Les Rouges learned, toppling a giant isn’t easy.
In the dying minutes of Canada’s first-ever knockout round game, tied at 0 with South Africa, they needed a hero. Stephen Eustáquio stepped up.
Canada had a fantastic chance to top Group B against Switzerland with either a win or a draw. Switzerland had other ideas, scoring twice in the opening 15 minutes of the second half, sending Les Rouges to second place.
Canada made World Cup history in Vancouver on Thursday, earning its first-ever victory at the tournament with a dominant 6–0 win over Qatar. Jonathan David scored a hat-trick as Les Rouges moved to the top of Group B, though the celebrations were tempered by a serious leg injury to midfielder Ismaël Koné.
In their first game of the 2026 World Cup in Toronto, Canada was given a scare by a feisty Bosnia and Herzegovina team, who took an early lead in the first half. Thankfully for Les Rouges, Cyle Larin’s goal in the 78th minute brought them even, earning a draw for Canada’s first standings point at a World Cup.
Last year, Women’s Soccer finished the season as one of the best defences in the country. Next year, you can expect more of the same.
After last stepping on the court as a UBC Thunderbird more than 20 years ago, ‘Birds basketball alumni Julie Smulders continues to make an impact on the program. Establishing her non-profit “She’s Got Next” nearly two years ago, she’s driven to promote and support women’s sport — both at UBC and beyond.
After another round of terrible seeding luck — having to face the best team in the country, Saskatchewan, in the quarterfinal — UBC was faced with the No. 1 seed in the tournament in the consolation semifinal. They put up a good fight, but couldn’t fight their way back in the fourth, ending their time at Final 8.
After the Calgary Dinos upset the previously undefeated Saskatchewan Huskies in the Canada West semifinal, the T-Birds thought they had caught a break. Instead, they got the worst of both worlds, losing to the Dinos in the final before being eliminated from medal contention by the Huskies — a game in which they never led.
This postseason, UBC has performed exceptionally well in the clutch. They’ve pulled through late against Alberta and Regina. Heading into the fourth quarter against Calgary tied, they should have been comfortable. They were not.
For head coach Dave Taylor, it had to be a strange feeling. After 32 years with the Regina Cougars — 19 of them as a head coach — he was on the other sideline, coaching UBC in a playoff game. In the end, the ‘Birds came out on top, beating Taylor’s former squad to stay alive in the postseason.
With 30 seconds left in UBC’s first win-or-go-home game of the year, the underdog Alberta Pandas were within a shot — and had the ball. But off an incredible defensive play, star ‘Birds guard Olivia Weekes stole the inbound, keeping UBC’s playoff hopes alive.
With their spot atop the Canada West secured going into the playoffs, the 'Birds were mostly looking for a proof-of-concept game in their final regular season match. They got it — with strong performances on both ends of the court elevating them over Victoria, 79–51.
It was a mismatch from the start, an unsurprising blowout of an inferior team. But for UBC's large class of graduating seniors, their last time on the court at War Memorial in the regular season was still immensely meaningful.
Page 1 of 5
Next