How UBC built Canada’s greatest university soccer program

There is no trophy sitting beside UBC men's soccer head coach Mike Mosher to commemorate what was, by almost every measure, one of the strongest seasons in UBC history.

The Thunderbirds men’s soccer team spent the regular season dismantling opponents, setting program records for wins and points while looking like favourites to repeat as national champions. Then, after 15 wins, 1 draw and no losses in the season, everything changed. A 90th-minute loss in the Canada West final dropped them to the No. 7 seed at nationals, where a first-round defeat brought an abrupt end to a season that had promised so much.

Jesse Symons’s trophy case is similarly empty.

The women’s soccer head coach and his squad were confidently riding a high from back-to-back national championships, and in the ensuing regular season, they had kept their momentum. They made history conceding zero goals in their regular season, before only allowing one in the Canada West playoffs, where they won the conference title. They were well-positioned to be the first team ever to win three straight national championships.

But in the gold medal game, their undefeated run of 42 games slipped through their fingers. In the snow, they fell to the Montréal Carabins 2–1, settling for second place.

For most programs, seasons like that would still be celebrated. At UBC, however, it left lingering unfinished business. "At the end of the day, it's also a bitter pill to look back at. The team was so good, and we don't have a trophy to show for it," Mosher said. "The bar is set so high.”

That expectation — that anything short of competing for a national championship feels disappointing — is unusual. So are the programs behind it.

Across over a century of men's soccer and almost 50 years of women’s soccer, the Thunderbirds have become the most decorated program in Canadian university history, winning 23 national championships and 41 Canada West titles between the two teams.

The men’s program has won 14 of those national championships and 23 Canada West titles — winning six times in the last seven seasons. Those 23 Canada West titles are nearly twice as many as Victoria’s, the second-place team, which has 12. On the national stage, UBC’s 14 banners more than double second-place York’s 6. Although competing for a shorter time — women’s soccer in Canada West started 11 years after men’s, and national competition came 17 years after that — the women’s team’s accolades follow a similar story.

They quickly caught up to the men’s team, achieving nine national championships and 18 Canada West titles, three of which came in the last four seasons. Similar to the men’s team, the T-Birds’ women’s program also leads all other Canadian universities in both national and Canada West titles, nearly doubling the wins of the second-place Trinity Western University Spartans in both.

Both of these programs are in a complete league of their own. These championships stretch across generations and have survived coaching changes, evolving tactics and entirely new rosters. While players graduate every four or five years, the expectation of winning has remained remarkably constant.

But why?

Some of the reasons are obvious. UBC has enough money to finance one of Canada's top academic institutions, alumni that donate for elite athletic facilities, and good weather that offers the ability to train outdoors throughout the year. Vancouver has long been one of the country's strongest soccer communities in the country, producing a steady pipeline of talent and success that attracts high-calibre recruits.

But those inside both programs point somewhere else first. They point to culture.

For nearly four decades, that culture in the men’s program has been shaped by two names that have come to define UBC soccer: UBC Hall of Fame inductee Dick Mosher and his son, Mike. The Mosher legacy at UBC dates back to 1921, when goalkeeper Harry “Heggie” Mosher, regarded as one of the province's most prominent goalkeepers, arrived on campus.

Yet, while Harry Mosher would have a great career with UBC, it was 65 years later that the Mosher family would make their true impact. In 1986, Dick Mosher made his coaching debut, a year before Mike Mosher — who would later become one of the country's most successful university coaches — joined the team as a player.

The younger Mosher played under his father during one of the greatest stretches in Canadian university soccer history. After taking over the men's program, Dick Mosher began a remarkable run that included six national championships in nine seasons, while also continuing a 37-game unbeaten streak that began just before his tenure. This run of success was part of why Mosher received CIAU honours — what is now U Sports — as Coach of the Year three times, helping cement UBC as the country's premier destination for university soccer.

When Dick left the men’s team in 1996, Mike Mosher stepped into the role, having been his father’s assistant coach for two years — and three decades later, he’s still here. The continuity is almost unheard of in modern university athletics. Since becoming head coach, Mosher has guided the men’s team to six national championships and 12 Canada West titles, earning U Sports Coach of the Year honours twice and Canada West Coach of the Year honours four times, overseeing countless graduating classes, tactical evolutions and changes throughout collegiate sport.

Through all that, he insists the program's identity has never really changed. "Day one of preseason," he said, "our standard, our expectation, is that we will compete for a national championship. That's it. That's who we are — and we don't make excuses about it."

To Mosher, that high bar isn’t reserved for match days. "Whether it's 2 years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago … if we're going to have success, we have to live to these high standards.”

Former players leave. New recruits arrive. The expectation stays exactly where it has always been.

According to the first — and only — UBC Athletics historian Fred Hume, that consistency is rooted in a much longer history than many people realize. Although the men's program dates back to 1919, making it one of the university's original varsity sports alongside basketball, rugby and boxing as members of the UBC Men's Athletic Association, it took more than five decades for the Thunderbirds to compete on the national stage. They won their first major trophy at the provincial level with a B.C. championship in 1922, but they’d have to wait longer to go beyond that.

A year prior, in 1921, World War I veteran Ebenezer Crute — one of the most influential figures in the early history of soccer at UBC — graduated. Recognizing his immense contribution to the sport, the university made the unprecedented decision to let him continue playing for varsity after graduation, the only such case in UBC history, and he remained with the team until 1927.

In its earliest decades, the team experienced periods of success, but also moments of uncertainty, even briefly losing varsity status in the late 1920s as soccer struggled for recognition on campus. What carried the program through those difficult stretches, Hume said, was the people behind it. "You get the soccer players who just are compelled to keep it going."

Faculty members and alumni also played important roles, advocating for the sport during periods when university athletics looked very different from today. As facilities improved and soccer continued to grow in British Columbia, UBC increasingly became an attractive destination for the province's best players.

The program continued to reach significant milestones in the decades that followed. In February 1955, UBC took part in the first soccer match ever televised in Canada, marking another historic moment for both the university and the sport. Thirteen years later, the Thunderbirds captured the 1967–68 Pacific Coast League championship — then considered one of the highest levels of soccer in the country. Finally, in 1974, 56 years after the program's founding, UBC made its first appearance at the CIAU championship in the tournament’s fifth year, winning a title in their first attempt and beginning a national legacy that would soon define the program.

During that time, UBC men's soccer was more than a campus team. They mattered across the entire city. Before the program entered the university sports system, when the Thunderbirds were regularly facing local amateur and semi-pro clubs in the Pacific Coast League, they drew the attention of fans and newspapers alike.

But as the team transitioned into the CIAU, that visibility quietly disappeared. Playing almost exclusively against other universities meant fewer eyes, less media coverage and a growing disconnect from the surrounding city. Previous generations knew UBC had a soccer team, but many people today don't even realize one exists.

“The number of people coming to watch the games is disappointing,” Mosher said. “I think our student-athletes deserve a little bit more [in] that regard, just with how good they've been and the quality at which they compete and play … [there’s] definitely a little bit of a frustration.”

But if UBC men’s soccer has faded from the public eye, it didn't fade on the pitch. As media attention drifted elsewhere, the Thunderbirds quietly built a dynasty that would make them the gold standard of Canadian university soccer. By the time Dick Mosher arrived in the mid-1980s, the foundations of a powerhouse had already been laid. Under his leadership, those foundations became a dynasty, and his influence remains visible today. "I think the older I get," Mike said, "the more I still take from his approach."

The father-son duo shared a remarkable 1989, when Dick was named CIAU Coach of the Year while Mike earned CIAU Championship MVP honours as a player, with their phenomenal team also gaining a spot in the UBC Sports Hall of Fame. To Hume, the similarities between them are very clear. “He looks like his dad,” he said, “he's as passionate as his dad … the father and son just loved soccer. That was really it for them.”

Rather than emphasizing strategies or training methods, Mosher speaks about the way his father treated people. "He was very respected by, of course, his players and athletes … [but also] by his coaching colleagues, his competitors, within the university," he said. "There's not many people [who] would have an ill word towards him." That way of coaching — and of living — still shapes both programs, because Dick not only coached the men’s team, but the women’s team as well.

Founded in 1976, the UBC women’s soccer program got off to a strong start even before Dick Mosher stepped in as the head coach in 1994. The team cycled through many short-term coaches before Mosher stayed for 16 years, pushing the already successful women’s program to new heights.

The program first started competing for titles in 1983, the first year of the sport in Canada West. They were completely dominant. Immediately.

They swept the first four conference championships, winning all of them — but unfortunately that was as far as they could go. For those four years, there was a ceiling for the success of the women’s teams, as there wasn’t a CIAU national championship to compete in, like the men’s side had had since 1970. That changed in 1987.

With the inaugural women’s CIAU tournament in view, the Thunderbirds set their sights on the newest goal. They made history with their fifth consecutive Canada West title as the first ever national champions in Canadian university women’s soccer.

As women’s Canadian university soccer was in its infancy, UBC was leading the charge. “They weren't in it just to participate, they were in it to go all the way,” said Hume.

Despite the success as a program, they didn’t have a foundational culture until Mosher came in.

“[Mosher’s] impact was huge … he was born to coach … [and] whatever he touched turned to gold,” said Hume. “He's without a doubt the most influential single person in women's soccer, and maybe in soccer generally, at UBC.”

Mosher did something very out of the norm at the start of his tenure. When he stepped in as the women’s head coach, he was still the coach of the men’s program, continuing to hold both roles for two years simultaneously. He juggled the men’s and women’s teams, all supporting and building the program into the dynasty it continues to be to this day, even on top of teaching duties and having a family.

During his time with the women’s program, Mosher won five conference titles and three national championships, most notably coaching UBC through their incredible 2002 and 2003 seasons, where they won consecutive national championships — only the second time that had ever been done. The team was inducted into the UBC Sports Hall of Fame for their achievement.

They capped that run with an exclamation point. In the 2003 finals matchup, UBC won 5–0 to take the gold, a mark that still stands as the second-highest margin of victory in a U Sports women’s soccer gold medal match. It’s just one moment of pure dominance, but it’s indicative of the heights the program reached under Mosher.

This culture of success did not stop with Mosher's retirement in 2010. The team continued to be consistent over the years by winning a conference and national title in 2015, but they did not have another long-term coach until Jesse Symons took over the UBC program in 2016.

Since starting as head coach, Symons has continued what Mosher built. In his 10 years and counting on the job, he has become the second-longest-tenured coach for the Thunderbirds women’s program. Even a decade in, Symons is inspired by all that Mosher did for the program.

“[Mosher] would have been fun to play for, because I know that his caring and compassion for everyone that's in front of him was unbelievable, and I try and bring that into the program,” said Symons.

Since Symons started coaching, his impact has been undeniable. His time as coach has seen four Canada West banners, four Coach of the Year awards and three national titles in five gold medal game appearances.

The more they achieve, the higher the bar becomes for these programs, and that starts with the coaches. A program that is never satisfied is a program prepared to dominate. Consistency, both in values and approach, is key.

While tactics evolve with the modern game, Mosher believes the qualities that sustain championship for the men’s program are far less complicated. Competitiveness. Accountability. Consistency. Those words surfaced repeatedly throughout conversations, often before championships were mentioned. For Mosher, they form the pillars of the program.

"If you're going to come into this program as a student-athlete," he said, "you've got to be prepared to compete — you’ve got to compete for your spot, you’ve got to compete with other individuals within the group and then, of course, the competition against the schools across the rest of the country." Competition permeates the team, in every day, in every training session, in every opportunity to earn a place in the lineup.

But unlike coaches from decades ago who could be more controlling and strict, Mosher believes another necessary pillar is to have fun. “The two really go hand in hand,” he said. “I like to think that I can create an environment where, while yes, it's very competitive, it's also fun … The academic rigour of being a student-athlete at this school is not easy, so we want to make sure that it's very enjoyable.”

The women’s team follows a similar mantra. For them, it’s excellence. Excellence is something that has come up time and time again when discussing the program, all the way since their beginnings in the 1980s.

Excellence is always the set goal. What excellence looks like can differ from year to year, but some standards hold constant for Symons. It’s similar to Mosher’s model of consistency — staying in a strong rhythm in each season with rosters, training and tactics to ensure they are showing up as their best selves. And while results are important, it’s not about winning a championship at the start of a season. It’s about the process.

“We talk about performing every single day at our highest level, and if that's good enough, then hopefully we're on the right side of it, which we've been more often than not over the last few years,” said Symons.

The team constantly pushes itself to do better, with much of that pressure coming internally — every player needs to earn their chance to make an impact. The team’s roster can look incredibly different from game to game. They focus on player growth, emphasizing the need to make every moment on the pitch count and earning their playing time.

This centring of excellence and continued improvement also serves another purpose: it doesn’t let the team get too comfortable. It’s why, in this most recent season, they were able to go through the entire regular season without allowing a goal. They don’t let up. Every player contributes, no matter who the opponents are.

“Players are fresh, they're motivated, they want to step up when they're called upon,” said Symons. “There isn’t any time to be comfortable, because they understand that they're there to compete.”

This fierce play is a staple of the women’s team, a group that is known for never letting up in a match, even if they’re already up big with little time left. This energy gives them momentum into playoffs, avoiding the slumps that plague the top teams that coast to the finish line.

The standards of the programs are clearly intense, but they’re not a burden to the athletes. Like the men’s team, they celebrate their successes throughout the season, and once they’re on the pitch, they trust the players to do what is needed. Every player knows what is expected of them. Every player understands the high standards of the program. To them, it’s an honour to step onto the pitch representing the Thunderbirds, and to add to the legacy of the UBC women’s soccer program.

“It's more of a personality to want to do their best and know that the process of preparing themselves for their games, and then in the moments at the matches that they can [take] risks, they can make mistakes and still try and figure out solutions afterwards,” said Symons.

That internal competition, mixed with joviality and celebration when needed, is perhaps the defining characteristic of UBC soccer. Championship-calibre teams often rely on a handful of standout players, but at UBC, players describe success as something built on depth — and success has long been rooted in a culture that allows the program to overcome adversity.

After winning the national championship in 2012 with an experienced roster, the men’s team entered the following season having lost more than half of its starters to graduation. Rather than viewing the transition as a setback, the focus immediately shifted to who would step up.

That philosophy continued to produce results throughout the year. Their captain suffered a season-ending injury in the opening match. Their star player, Reynold Stewart, who won the conference Player of the Year, was injured just before the national tournament. Still, UBC continued to find ways to win, capturing another national title. For coach Mosher, that resilience reflected the foundation of the program: a culture built on camaraderie, shared expectations and a willingness to compete for one another.

The women’s team is also no stranger to overcoming adversity. Last season, after winning their second consecutive national title, they had a lot of roster changes, particularly with their back line. Some of these losses were expected. There was the usual turnover with graduating seniors, such as Canada West defender of the year Jacqueline Tyrer. But some losses were unforeseen.

In one offseason, the team lost two former Canada West Rookie of the Year winners — both of whom had multiple years of eligibility remaining. Both Sarah Rollins and Olivia Gomez left for other opportunities in the Northern Super League (NSL) and British Columbia Premier League, respectively. The injury bug wasn’t kind to them either. They lost multiple of players to injury, with veteran defender and national championship all-star Sophia Ferreira going out for the season alongside other regular starters.

Replacing four of the six defenders who had started the previous year’s title game, they had an excuse to take a step back. They instead had the most successful defensive season in university soccer history. They went unbeaten in the regular season. They didn’t concede a single goal. UBC knows exactly how to deal with these changes and adapts to whatever situation they’re in while maintaining their culture of excellence.

UBC women’s soccer has players prepared to fill roles. From players who have developed over the years from training, earning playing time in regular season games to improve their skills, to rookies who buy into the program right away — the system is self-sustaining.

Even in the face of unexpected changes, they are prepared for anything. The Thunderbirds do not rely on a single player for success; they trust that every player can make the difference for the team when needed. That faith largely comes through recruiting and player development.

“Players that come to our program want to play in championship games, they want to be put into situations that [may] be uncomfortable, and because of that, it makes them motivated and better,” said Symons.

When recruiting, Symons and the rest of the coaching staff obviously look for talent. Many of those who hope to join this dominant program are talented, though, so it's not the deciding factor. Instead, it’s their mindset and drive as a player that is just as — if not more — important. The Thunderbirds look for those willing to step up and be leaders, for people who do not expect to have everything handed to them or to earn a starting spot right away.

Once the team has recruited, it’s about getting first-years caught up on the culture. The senior players, along with the coaches, set examples of team values for the rookies.

“The quality of the players, and also the mindset and the buy-in from everybody, has been huge,” veteran keeper Dakota Beckett said.

The players that join UBC typically come in prepared to grow and be tested as they fill into their own roles on the team. Some will start right away, like Sophie Harrison, last year’s Canada West Rookie of the Year, did. Others will grow and develop through their years on the team, earning their chance to start later in their career, but still adding value to the team.

“We've had a really good formula of players over the years to really push us to the pinnacle of soccer in Canada," said Symons.

Captain Markus Kaiser has spent six years in the men’s program, long enough to see multiple graduating classes come and go. Throughout his time, the standard has remained the same. When he arrived in Vancouver, he was following familiar footsteps. His older brother Daniel was already wearing Thunderbird colours as the captain, giving Kaiser the opportunity to play alongside him once again after they had briefly shared the pitch in high school. But family was only part of the reason he chose UBC.

"I also knew I was going to a place that was really competitive and had a lot of success," Kaiser said. To him, that reputation quickly proved accurate.

“One of the really good things about this program is just the overall competitiveness. We have a lot of really good players in the program. It's not just about the top two or three guys. It's not just about the starting 11." In Kaiser’s estimation, the Thunderbirds regularly carry 30 to 35 players capable of competing at an exceptionally high level, all potential starting-calibre players.

That creates an unusual environment. Every training session resembles a competitive match, with players fighting not only to beat the opponent in front of them but also to earn minutes the following weekend. "The guys we're playing against [in training] could be starting on a lot of teams across the country," Kaiser said.

Mosher sees that internal competition as one of the men’s program's greatest strengths. "The demand to be in our program is immense. The number of contacts and emails that I get on a daily and weekly basis is incredible, and that's a great problem to have.” To him, the reason is clear — “everybody wants to be a part of a top program."

Beyond their success on the field, the university's academic reputation, scenic campus and great climate that allows the team to train and play year-round are all things Mosher believes are attractive to prospective students. Desire to join both teams remains high because players want to compete for a consistent contender.

The opportunity to play on a winning team was a big part of Dakota Beckett’s journey to UBC. From a very young age, it was Beckett’s dream to play soccer professionally, and to get there, she knew she would need to go to a competitive university. She first looked at schools in the United States, as many NCAA universities are known for their strong programs, but instead, she opted for UBC. It was closer to home as a B.C. native, but she mostly made the choice due to UBC’s program.

“I was looking for excellence, and I found that this program was the best in Canada,” said Beckett.

But recruiting elite talent is only half the challenge. Keeping those players invested when they are competing against teammates who could start almost anywhere else is another. Players choose to remain at UBC despite knowing opportunities elsewhere might come with more minutes on the pitch. That, Mosher believes, is one of the clearest indicators that the culture is working.

"Once guys come in, they stay," he said. "Our guys are here for four [or] five years — they're committed to the program." They could transfer elsewhere and immediately step into starting roles, but instead, they choose to remain in Vancouver, embracing the competition and hard work rather than avoiding it.

To Kaiser, backup goalkeeper Roko Vukic defined that mentality this season. Stuck behind an established starter, Vukic rarely saw game action, yet the captain said he was consistently among the hardest-working players in the squad, inspiring the other teammates and often being the first to arrive at training and having a constant presence in the gym. When starting goalkeeper Jack Garner was sidelined with an injury, Vukic stepped in seamlessly. "Because of how he was carrying himself and the work he's put in, I knew that he'd do a [good] job," Kaiser said. "He was incredible when he came in."

The UBC women’s soccer team has seen players with similar career stories. Senior striker Ava Alexander had a similar journey to Vukic — for most of her career, she was stuck behind many talented T-Birds who took over the starting positions on the team. Throughout her first four years, she had only started nine games and scored seven goals.

But she worked hard, supported her team and never stopped evolving as a player. Finally, her number was called in the 2025–26 season, and she was prepared for her moment. She had a career-best year, starting 18 games and scoring nine goals in the season, helping fuel her team on offence through their historic season and becoming their second-leading scorer.

But that isn’t the only sacrifice that’s required of those on UBC’s soccer teams.

The Thunderbirds ask their players to balance one of Canada's most demanding academic institutions with the expectations of a national championship contender. Practices, travel, training and recovery all fit around lectures, labs and exams. "It's not easy to be a student-athlete in a top program at a top school," Mosher said.

Recognizing that reality has become part of his coaching philosophy. While he demands accountability on the field, he also tries to create space away from soccer, easing training loads during particularly demanding academic periods and encouraging players to maintain lives beyond the game. "[What] I'd like to think I've been able to do over my time… [is find] a balance," he said. That balance is something Kaiser has experienced firsthand.

As captain of the men’s team this past season, Kaiser found that leadership often had little to do with soccer itself. "You're the person that people are coming to to ask questions about … off-the-field type of stuff,” he said. “A lot of the guys on the team are at UBC for soccer, and of course they want to get a degree, but it's challenging." Instead of focusing solely on tactics or match preparation, many conversations revolved around coursework, adjusting to university life and helping younger players navigate one of Canada's most rigorous schools.

Leadership isn’t defined by being the best athlete in the program. It is about setting the standard, influencing those around you and supporting teammates when they need it — qualities Kaiser embodies. “I've never been the best player on any team I've been on, but I'm always really hard-working, and I feel like I set good examples,” Kaiser said. "But trying to pass on that [leadership] ... it's not easy, because people are different in the way[s] they learn."

For him, that challenge of helping others grow reflects another lesson he has taken from the coaching staff: leadership is ultimately about understanding the people around you.

"[It's] not just Mike," he said, pointing to assistant coaches like Joe Zupo, Scott Howey and Richard Hawes as mentors throughout his time at UBC. For Kaiser, the program’s support system goes beyond soccer. It means having teammates and mentors who are there to discuss everything from training and competition to school, career goals and future opportunities. Mosher, Kaiser added with a quick laugh, has written "I don't even know how many" reference letters for him over the years. But more important than any individual letter is the message behind them.

"He's always very passionate about saying that it's not about the soccer players that he's coaching," Kaiser said. "It's about the people." Those relationships help the team feel less like a men’s soccer roster and more like a community.

No team wins a national title while divided. Success on the field starts with trust off of it, and as a captain, Kaiser understands that building strong relationships between players is just as important as developing chemistry during games. He remembers living with teammates, organizing team gatherings and building friendships that extended well beyond training sessions.

Before practices and matches, players even gather for an intensely competitive game of two-touch, occasionally raising the stakes with playful punishments for the loser. Locker-room playlists become ritualized, superstitions emerge and small traditions develop almost organically. Individually, they may be insignificant, but collectively, they reinforce the shared identity of a team who has bonded together through victories and losses.

For Beckett, stepping into a leadership role for her team became about supplying a calm presence in times of pressure. Although not the captain, as a senior player, Beckett had a big part in upholding the team’s culture and values and demonstrating them to younger players. In taking this role, Beckett was paying it forward. When she first became a Thunderbird, the senior players were role models for her. Then, as a senior, it was her turn.

Leadership looks different for everyone, but for Beckett, as the keeper, it came through her confidence, in never faltering under the pressure of an opponent's attack. It was contagious. When the team saw their keeper keeping a level head, they could too. By reflecting these values as a leader, Beckett helps the younger players grow in their own confidence and skills.

For Beckett, helping the team become a united front grows bonds off the field as well. Much like Kaiser, Beckett became the person who anybody could come to if they needed. Togetherness was emphasized beyond individual leaders as well, with team bonding and mental-performance-focused activities featuring prominently in their training.

“It's really helpful to get on the same page,” said Beckett. “I think a lot of our success is due to the strong mindsets and the buy-in that we all contribute to.”

“A phrase that's in our dressing room, and something that I think our program really believes in, is strength comes from unity,” said Symons.

This work off the pitch has tangible results. In every game, supporting your teammates isn’t an option — it’s a necessity. Whenever someone is not able to give 100 per cent, another player will step up to help them. It’s not a burden. It’s just how they are.

With every season of success, the pressure to continue the excellence of the program builds. It is a fortunate stressor to have, a motivating factor that pushes them forward, but they don’t let it distract them. The most important thing is to keep growing and evolving as a program, team and individuals.

For the women’s program, this involves growing beyond U Sports. The team takes on new challenges every year in non-conference competitions, facing off against a variety of skilled opponents to prepare for the season before playing both NCAA and professional women’s teams. The Thunderbirds even earned the chance to travel overseas, as they will be going to Portugal and Spain ahead of the 2026–27 season to compete against professional women’s teams in exhibition matchups.

These unique experiences not only bring the team together and prepare them for the challenging season ahead, they also place the players in unique environments to allow them to evolve.

“That's been a big part of our identity … to really put players in positions … so that they can get to another level,” said Symons.

In practice, this has meant that the team builds players for a future after the Thunderbirds. The program has seen many go on to achieve incredible things after leaving the team, especially in recent years. Players like last year’s captain Ella Sunde have gone on to play professionally overseas. Others have stayed closer to home, with the growing opportunities of the NSL calling to alumni such as Sarah Rollins, who is with AFC Toronto, and Danielle Steer, who played with Calgary Wild FC last season.

At the end of the day, while team success is the priority, individual growth isn’t neglected. Every player can add their own mark, and as such, UBC soccer becomes multidimensional within their excellence.

When asked to describe UBC men’s soccer in a single word, Kaiser paused before answering. "Patience." Opponents frequently defend deep against the Thunderbirds, forcing them to control possession while waiting for opportunities that may not come immediately. "We know the quality within our team," he said. "Our time will come."

After another moment, he offered a second word. "Trust." Trust in teammates and coaches, trust in the system, trust in the standards that have guided the program for decades. Those ideals become most important when the victories stop and the losses come in.

For all of UBC's championships, the men’s team is no stranger to disappointment. Kaiser still remembers the silence after losing the 2022 national final on penalties. The long bus ride home from Kamloops. The realization that months of work had ended one kick short. Rather than dividing the team, the loss strengthened it.

"After losing, it was cold. It was late. Everybody [was] really sad, but just being together as a team … the relationships get even stronger when you go through stuff like that," he said.

That perspective became especially relevant this season. The Thunderbirds men’s team entered the Canada West final having put together one of the best regular seasons in program history, only to concede a dramatic goal in the last minute that denied them the conference title. Days later, because of that loss, they drew defending national finalist Montréal in the opening round of the U Sports championship. In 90 minutes, they were eliminated before they had the chance to defend the national title they had won a year earlier.

For a team that had spent months proving it was among the best — if not the best — in the country, the ending was difficult to accept. "We had a regular season like no other," Mosher said. "Everything was going so great, and then it's done." He still speaks proudly about the records the team set and the consistency it displayed over the regular season, but those accomplishments are accompanied by an unmistakable frustration. “At the end of the day, there's only going to be one winner.”

That disappointment, however, is also a reflection of the standard the program has created. There is no talk of lowering expectations after one difficult finish. Instead, there is the belief that next season begins with exactly the same objective as every season before it.

In the end, no matter how great a team is, soccer is an unpredictable sport. “I thought we played better this year than we did last year, and last year we won — this year we lost. It happens,” Kaiser said. Still, he believes the team's response to adversity often says more about its character than the victories do.

Players spend countless hours together, balancing training sessions, road trips and demanding academic schedules. Those shared experiences become even more meaningful when seasons end in disappointment. That resilience is perhaps the clearest thread connecting generations of Thunderbirds. "I think that losing can be really hard … but you also learn the most from losing,” Kaiser added.

It’s a lesson the women’s team has had to learn as well. But for them, it may have been even more difficult. In a year where they didn’t let up any goals in the regular season, let alone trail in a game, they didn’t face much adversity. But when they finally did face a challenge, they still had resilience.

“We really come together in those moments, and it's about us as a collective more than anything external,” said Beckett.

For her, this was clearest in their 2025 national semifinal game. After cruising through Canada West, the national playoffs proved more challenging. They squeaked by Guelph in extra time before quickly going down 2–0 to Laval. It was the first time they had trailed at all in any game in two years.

But the UBC women’s team didn’t panic. After that second goal, they huddled together and took the pressure off. Rather than dwell on the deficit, they reminded each other how lucky they were to be in the tournament, focusing on the fun and joy of the game. Without the pressure of the outcome, they were able to find a calm and confident mindset. With three subsequent goals, they took over the game and won 3–2.

Winning is the expectation for the UBC program. But after going all the way to the national championship for the third year in a row and just falling short, Symons knows how important it is for the team to still celebrate these achievements.

It is easy to zoom into the losses and see what a team might've done wrong, but for the Thunderbirds, these are few and far between. Sport is unpredictable, and sometimes the team will lose regardless of performance, as they did against Montréal in the 2025 national championship game.

“For me, we performed extremely well. We out-possessed, out-shot, out-chanced the team we played against, and they had a very good season as well, and are a top program,” said Symons.

While UBC outmatches most programs in Canada, Montréal is a tough opponent. Similar to the UBC women’s team, they have won two of the last four national titles and didn’t lose in the regular season, with only one draw to their record.

Although the team's losses are real and the setbacks hurt, Symons still sees the team improving next season. It’s not about imposing pressure on the team to fix the mistakes that were made in their loss to Montréal, but about trusting in the program and culture that has been built.

“We're in a very good spot with our program, very mature, and [we] have a team that'll be hungry to compete on our UBC campus this fall,” said Symons.

Across more than a century, players have changed, coaches have adapted to new tactical ideas, facilities have been transformed and Canadian university soccer has become increasingly competitive. In his 30 years as coach, Mosher has seen “the quality in U Sports soccer [get] better and better and better.” But what has remained remarkably consistent is the expectation that wearing a UBC jersey comes with responsibility.

Everyone buys into and understands that their performance goes far beyond themselves. It’s about their teammates, their coaches, about defining the legacy of the program.

“The goal is to compete at our highest level every single game we play in,” said Symons. “If it means that we're in a national final at the end of the year, that's amazing, and probably deserved.”

For Hume, that continuity is part of what makes the program unique. He points to generations of coaches, alumni and supporters who continued investing in the teams long after they had left campus. The Moshers are perhaps the most visible example, but far from the only ones. “Definitely the success has to be credited somewhat towards how much him and his father [have] put into the program,” Kaiser said of his coach. Hume agreed. "The two of them have created this really strong legacy."

Legacy, though, can be an overused word in sports. Programs don't remain dominant for decades simply because of history. They do so because every new generation decides that history is worth protecting.

At UBC, that process begins long before the first match of the season. It starts with recruits willingly choosing one of the most competitive environments in the country. It continues through practices where earning a place in the lineup is rarely guaranteed. It carries into classrooms, where coaches expect players to succeed academically as well as athletically, and into locker rooms where leadership is measured as much by character as by goals or assists.

Championship banners hanging inside the stadium remind players what previous teams have accomplished. But it isn’t about the banners. It’s about the process they went through to get them.

That distinction may explain why UBC has remained the benchmark for Canadian university women’s and men’s soccer while generations of contenders have risen and fallen. The program has never depended on one star player or one exceptional team. Instead, it has relied on something much harder to build and much easier to lose: a culture that survives graduation.

Championships have followed because of it, not the other way around. And although this season ended without another trophy to add to the collections of both programs, nothing suggests the standard has changed.

When preseason begins again, two new groups of players will arrive knowing exactly what is expected of them. Not because someone tells them, but because that is what UBC soccer has expected of itself for generations.