Some things never change, and the UBC women’s soccer team dominating the Canada West regular season is one of them.
Thunderbirds soccer is back. The 2026–27 season officially kicked off on Friday, with UBC opening its campaign on the road for two weeks and playing its first of four matches away from home.
For their season opener, the Thunderbirds faced sister school UBC Okanagan Heat in Kelowna. The long-awaited return only reinforced what many had expected from the T-Birds, who cruised to a 3–0 victory over the Heat. The result showed why UBC sits first in both Canada West and U Sports preseason polls.
The season opener marked the first game for several new UBC recruits, though two veterans — co-captain Sophia Ferreira and midfielder Bailey Doerksen — also made their return on the pitch against UBCO after missing the entire 2025 season due to injuries that had forced them to spend the year on the sidelines.
Doerksen marked her return with her first goal back as a Thunderbird, converting a penalty kick against the Heat. Jayda Thompson and Hannah Bains scored the other two goals as the T-Birds’ offence immediately found its form.
UBC carried that momentum forward as they moved into their second match against longtime rivals Trinity Western University Spartans in Langley. TWU is another powerhouse in Canada West and U Sports soccer, entering the season ranked second and sixth respectively in their two polls.
But despite the Spartans’ pedigree, they have struggled to find answers against UBC in the regular season. TWU's most recent victory over UBC came in the 2023 Canada West championship game, when they won 6–5 in a penalty shootout.
UBC got their revenge later that season, defeating TWU in the national championship game. The last time the Spartans were able to walk away with a win over the Thunderbirds in the regular season was in 2021.
Since then, UBC has been nearly untouchable in their regular season play, extending their unbeaten streak to 34 games against the Spartans.
UBC came prepared with experienced veterans, while also giving its newer players a chance to test themselves on the field.
Head coach Jesse Symons chose some familiar faces, especially across the back-line, where second-years Heike Clarke and Sophie Harrison, and third-year Zoelle Apps continued to build on their breakout performances from last season.
With so much depth across their roster, the Thunderbirds are expected to rotate heavily early in the season. The goalkeeping position in particular, remains up for grabs following the graduation of star keeper Dakota Beckett at the end of last season.
And the Thunderbirds are prepared to fill the spot. UBC began its season with new recruit Marilena Spagnolo between the posts. A three-time Ontario University Athletics all-star who has also played in Europe, Spagnolo recorded the Thunderbirds’ first clean sheet of the season against UBCO.
Against TWU, Symons turned to Emma Sparrow instead. Though not as experienced as Spagnolo, Sparrow enters her second season with the Thunderbirds after making nine appearances as a rookie last year. Her performance helped UBC maintain its historic regular season shutout streak.
Sparrow wasn’t tested heavily against TWU, facing just eight shots, but she stepped up and remained composed in the net. She earned her first clean sheet of the season and kept the streak going once again for UBC.
From the opening whistle, the Thunderbirds looked like the team that has dominated Canada West in recent years. UBC controlled possession throughout the first half, moving the ball quickly and patiently to create openings.
An opportunity came in the fifth minute, when Thompson tested the Spartans’ goalkeeper Yasmine Pahal with an early opening shot.
Thompson continued to push the attack forward and pressured the TWU defence, finishing with three shots in the game. Later in the half, Pahal came out of the box to challenge Thompson and managed to beat her to the ball alive.
But as the goalkeeper dove to secure possession, Thompson somehow still kept it at her feet and nearly turned the chance into a shot on goal. This earnedUBC their first corner of the match, although the Thunderbirds couldn’t capitalize.
Second-year defender Heike Clarke (#2) helped the team keep the ball far from Emma Sparrow's net.
Defence, one of UBC’s biggest strengths, was the foundation of the game. The T-Birds' defence kept the Spartans absolutely locked down, refusing to let them get near goal and holding TWU without a shot for the first 22 minutes.
With the Thunderbirds keeping play mostly in the Spartans’ half, it was no surprise that UBC opened the scoring in the 27th minute. Thompson played a key role in the goal, continuing to ignite UBC’s attack.
Bains received the ball in the middle of the field and sent a through ball toward Thompson, who accelerated into space in front of the net. A Spartan defender read Thompson’s run well and cut her off, deflecting the ball toward the baseline. Thompson kept the ball in play and found third-year forward Maddy Norman in front of the net, who fired it past the goalkeeper to give UBC a 1–0 lead.
Soon after, a physical challenge earned the Spartans a yellow card and UBC a free kick. Co-captain Taiya Dennehy stepped up from long range and sent the ball into the box. The Thunderbirds tried to get on the end of it but could not connect, allowing TWU to clear the danger.
Set pieces were not a strength for either team in the match. But with UBC earning 13 corners to TWU’s two, as well as several free kicks, they had plenty of opportunities to create chances from dead-ball situations.
UBC did not need them to keep scoring. They continued to pressure TWU throughout the first half and doubled their lead in the 38th minute. A loose ball fell in front of the net, and rookie Shaden Al-Assad reacted quickly, pouncing on it and firing past the Spartans’ goalkeeper to make it 2–0.
It was Al-Assad’s first career goal as a Thunderbird, coming in only her second appearance for UBC.
Through the Thunderbirds’ first two games, each of their five goals has been scored by a different player. The spread reflects the depth of UBC’s roster, with multiple players capable of contributing offensively.
That depth is particularly important with one of Thunderbirds’ top scorers, Sienna Gibson, currently away competing at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. She is expected to return at the end of September, giving UBC another offensive option heading into the middle of the season.
Just before halftime, the Spartans pushed for a goal of their own. They sent a ball across the box, but UBC’s defence tracked it down and cleared it away, sending the Thunderbirds into the break with a 2–0 lead.
Though the Spartans came out with more energy in the second half, they were unable to find the back of the net, allowing UBC to preserve its unbeaten streak.
TWU came out with renewed energy to start the second half, looking to make an impact in front of its home crowd. The Spartans quickly sent another dangerous ball into the box, but Sparrow came off her line to challenge and knocked it away. As TWU increased the pressure, UBC remained composed, with Sparrow continuing to hold her ground in net as the Spartans began generating more shots.
Luciana Andrews came in for TWU at halftime and immediately injected the much needed energy into the Spartans’ attack. She battled for possession and challenged the Thunderbirds throughout the half.
In the 68th minute, TWU found one of its best chances of the match when a long ball found Andrews at the top of the box. She turned to shoot but sent the attempt high. The Spartans were finally creating some chances, but they continued to struggle to put them on target — and when they did, Sparrow was there to make the save.
The second half became more of a back-and-forth affair, but UBC maintained control for much of the match as the clock wound down. Four yellow cards were handed out during the match, with UBC receiving one and TWU receiving three.
That physicality nearly led to another UBC goal late in the match. Al-Assad intercepted a poor touch from the Spartans off a free kick and raced toward goal. As TWU tried to stop her, a defender brought her down inside the box, earning UBC a penalty kick. Bains, already with one goal in the season, stepped up to take the penalty kick. With the goalkeeper diving the wrong way, Bains had an open side of the net but sent her shot off target and into the post, keeping the score at 2–0.
The match ended 2–0 in UBC's favour. The Thunderbirds controlled the first half with sharp defensive play, a high press and sustained possession. Their defence remained strong after halftime, limiting TWU’s opportunities even as the Spartans improved offensively.
The victory extended UBC’s unbeaten regular season streak and marked another clean sheet for the Thunderbirds. Thunderbirds soccer is back as we know it.
UBC will remain on the road next Friday, travelling to Abbotsford to face the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades.
