On Thursday, September 14, the T-Birds defeated the University of Alberta Pandas at the Gerald McGavin UBC Rugby Centre 74–0, earning their second win and first home victory of the season.
Coming off a 29–12 win against the University of Victoria Vikes last week, UBC looked to continue their streak in hopes of a four-peat Canada West championship.
The Thunderbirds deviated from their forward-heavy last match against the Vikes, and the Pandas did not stand a chance against the T-Birds's vigour and quick maneuvers. By the fifth minute, Olivia Sarabura scored the first try by slicing through the Pandas’ defence, carrying a pass from Tia Jordo.
The 'Birds also held a strong maul against the Pandas, ending with fly-half Savannah Bauder catching her own pass straight into the try line. The T-Birds maintained their momentum with five more tries, leading to an impressive 43–0 lead after the first half. Centre and first-year Adia Pye stood out throughout the match, scoring an impressive four tries.
However, the Pandas did not back down without a fight. The Pandas came in with a stronger offence in the second-half, forcing the Thunderbirds to hold a more aggressive defence.
Though they maintained possession just along the 22-metre line throughout many points in the game, the Pandas were still unable to get onto the scoreboard. In the final minute, Tessa Strom finished the game strong for UBC with a try, topped off with a solid convert by Sarabura, securing their win 74–0.
“First half we played really, really well. We kept the ball. We scored some good team tries,” said head coach Dean Murten, “In the second-half [the Pandas] came in as hard. We defended quite well … all in all, [I'm] quite happy.”
Next, UBC will face the University of Calgary Dinos on September 24 at the Gerald McGavin UBC Rugby Centre. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.