On Friday night, most UBC students were celebrating the victory of the football team at Homecoming. But no more than 10 minutes away, there was another Thunderbirds team celebrating a victory.
The 'Birds' men's soccer team added another win to their unbeaten streak this regular season after beating their little brother, the UBC Okanagan Heat, in a match that proved why they are the most commemorated university soccer program in Canadian history. They won by 4–1 with two goals by third-year forward Henri Godbout — who recorded the most shots in the country last season — one goal by defender Lucas Dasovic, and one by midfielder Sebastian Agerskov.
It is not unusual for defenders and midfielders to score goals. However, this doesn't happen on every team — not all of them have the depth to rely on players to contribute outside of their position. Many teams rely primarily on their forwards to do the heavy lifting. UBC is not one of those teams. For a program to reach regional and national finals year after year, it requires a high level of play across the board — and since its formation, UBC has built exactly that.
But even with UBC's expertise, there were a host of factors that could have caused this game to end differently. First, although UBC was the home team, they were not playing in familiar territory. Due to Homecoming, the game was played at Ken Woods Field instead of at the T-Birds' usual nest, Thunderbird Stadium.
Second, only two weeks prior, UBC crushed the Heat 5–0 on their home soil, which meant one of two things: either UBCO would play scared, or they would come in hungry for revenge. Third, UBC is currently No. 1 in the Canada West standings, while UBCO is last. If UBC won, the Heat would leave this standing. The Heat have yet to win a match this season, and every player and coach knew that a victory would bring a much-needed confidence boost.
Additionally, despite UBC leading Canada West in the standings and the pre-season national rankings — they recently suffered their first non-victory of the season on Sunday. After five consecutive wins, the 'Birds lost a two-goal lead and tied 3–3 against the UNBC Timberwolves — and this Friday's match was going to prove whether the tie had affected them.
Lastly, the 'Birds have come into this season with a chip on their shoulder. Last season, they finished the regular season with 15 wins, no losses, and one tie, which led them to be ranked as the best team in Canada. Hopes were high and standards were even higher.
And then, their dreams were crushed.
To start, they lost the final match of the Canada West championships 2–1 against the Mount Royal Cougars — and it happened in the hardest way possible in soccer: the Cougars scored a winning goal in overtime. Then, to put an unfortunate end to an almost perfect season, they were defeated at the quarterfinals of the U Sports national championships 2–1 against the Université de Montréal Carabins.
"We hold ourselves to really high standards," Godbout said. "We were a little bit disappointed with the end of last season and how we weren't able to win it all, as we expect that from ourselves."
To outsiders, this game against the Heat was just one of the many matches the Thunderbirds will play throughout the season. But to UBC, winning this game meant climbing another rung on the ladder to a national title.
UBC was hoping to bounce back from a tie game last week and improve their record.
They were going to give everything — and in the first minutes of the match, they showed it.
The 'Birds started the game with a strong offensive force, dominating the Heat's side of the field almost completely — a pattern that was present throughout the majority of the match. But the team also appeared anxious, as if the game was already in its final moments.
In the first three minutes, there were already three shots, one by Markus Rukavina, current No. 1 in Canada West in assists and No. 2 in points and shots, and two by Max Comsia, current No. 2 in assists and goals, and No. 1 in points and shots. All the shots were blocked. It was clear they needed to be more patient.
But there was one person who wasn't rushing. He was calm and waiting for his chance to shine. Luckily for UBC, that chance already appeared in the fourth minute — and the Canada West 2024 Rookie of the Year seized the opportunity.
Before the clock had reached the five-minute mark, Godbout, although a very fast player, had clearly thought things through before aiming his shot.
"It came off of one of the shots that we took, and the ball sat in the box, and I was close enough," Godbout said. "It was set up for me to curl it to the far post, so I just took my opportunity."
For a second, the field went quiet because no one was even sure that the ball went in. Then, screaming began as everyone realized it was a goal — a very calculated one into the top-left corner.
"He gets a lot of chances with the supporting cast that he has," said head coach Mike Mosher. "But [he has] his own individual ability. He's a very creative player, a dynamic attacking player, and a key player for us."
With Godbout's early goal, UBC now had to hold the lead for another 86 minutes. Meanwhile, UBCO was beginning to realize that their main defensive strategy wasn't going to work against a team that possesses midfielders like Luke Norman and forwards like Godbout. The Norman-Godbout duo is something the Heat would have been concerned about, as many of the dangerous moves happening on their side were occurring between these two.
"Me and Luke have a great relationship," Godbout said. "He's a super intelligent player, so it's always easy to play with him, as [are] a lot of the other guys on the team."
Godbout is a spectacular forward. There's no denying it. But a forward can only do as much as their midfielders allow them to. In soccer, the team who controls the midfield is frequently the team who wins the game — and a midfield tandem of Norman and Brennen Fuerst is likely to dominate any match.
With the clock ticking away, a hungry UBCO team that was desperately trying to improve their standings in Canada West was bound to take any small advantage they could get — and they did. Around 10 minutes after Godbout's goal, the Heat used the quick turnover of the ball to reach the 'Birds' penalty area.
It was the most beautiful goal of the night.
UBCO, one by one, navigated through UBC's organized defensive line until only the Heat's Gavin La Montagne and the Thunderbirds' goalkeeper Jack Garner remained. La Montagne smoothly dribbled past Garner and kicked the ball — but Garner's foot touched the ball, causing it to roll slowly. La Montagne saw himself right next to UBC's defender Joshua Tomé.
Both began to run towards the ball, but one of them was faster. The score flipped to 1–1 and the 'Birds were at risk of turning their previous winning streak into a tying one.
By the time the goal happened, UBC had already made six shots and a goal. Down the other end, UBCO had made one shot, and seven seconds later scored their goal — both came from La Montagne. The control of the game never really left the 'Birds — but having the majority of possession can't always stop a team.
Mosher understands this firsthand. "As a team who's always got the ball, or more often got the ball than the opponent, we're always trying to be aware of transitions against [us] ... [and] in that particular moment, we didn't get set quickly enough," he said. "We need to find our defending shape faster."
A team at UBC's level shouldn't lose their focus after being scored against — and usually they don't. After all, they win the majority of the games they play, but that doesn't mean they aren't scored against. How they deal with that is what makes them the best in the nation.
"We kept the same mindset as we do in most games: it happens," said Godbout. "They had a nice breakaway chance on the counter, but our philosophy and our game plan is always to take control of the game, find the gaps, and we're eventually able to get our second win in the second."
This was proven quickly. Right after the Heat's goal, the 'Birds almost scored again. Godbout kicked the ball high to Rukavina, who went strongly with his head, before having his chances squandered. The ball was easily caught with a high jump by UBCO's keeper Ronan Woodroffe.
The Thunderbirds continued to generate scoring opportunities in the first half, while the Heat were unable to take any more shots on goal. In just 10 minutes, they received three corner kicks and four shots. Yet, it seemed like that desperation from earlier in the game was back again, as they never got an actual clean shot at the Heat's goal.
UBC continued to complete beautiful, organized passes. But when it came to what really mattered — scoring — they were too frenetic. Mosher, however, hoped to calm his team down before the second half to regain focus and clarity.
The 'Birds took a staggering amount of corner kicks in the first half, but were unable to make anything of them.
"I think this season, we have been struggling a bit with the final action," said Godbout. "Today, our shot percentage probably wasn't the best."
By the end of the first half, the 'Birds had seven corner kicks, but all of them led to nothing. At that point, it seemed like UBC’s goal was to set a record for corners without finding the back of the net — and, somehow, that was impressive in itself. The game was happening in their favour. They just needed to be patient.
In the first half, UBC's extensive training was on full display and the team was successfully executing their set plays. Yet, pre-planned combinations only work when the team is calm enough to work through them. The ball was being passed around too quickly and without intention, meaning that they began missing clear moments that could have led to another goal.
The opening minutes of the second half perfectly encapsulated the team's first-half struggles. UBC took two corners in the first two minutes, which ultimately amounted to nothing. The 'Birds strategy was clear, as mentioned by Mosher and Godbout: shot after shot until one goes in. But they weren't going in. So it was no surprise that Mosher tried to settle his players during the break. The 'Birds had come back playing with intent in a way they hadn't been in the first 45 minutes.
This intentional thinking took 13 minutes to be rewarded — in a way. After five shots on goal in 10 minutes that were still not connecting, someone had to step in and do something. UBC's bad luck finally came to an end.
The Thunderbirds went for the attack and were presented with a non-existent Heat defensive line. As the ball was kicked from afar, no one other than Godbout came to the rescue this time. He made a subtle, almost unobservable, touch to the ball and it went through the goal while UBCO's keeper had already hit the ground.
UBC recaptured the lead.
"Henri is a guy who can score goals out of not very much — he's got good individual talent," said Mosher. "I'm not sure exactly how many he's got on the season, but whatever the number is, he could and should have more."
Both teams were playing aggressively, but the referee didn't seem to mind and let most of the pushes go. The players didn't care either, very rarely stopping the match to complain. They behaved better than most players in the big leagues.
For most of the game, Garner could have taken a nap in his spot without much worry. On the other side of the field however, Woodroffe was probably trying not to blink as Comsia took shot after shot. The talent was there, but so was the anxiety. In just six minutes, he took four shots — all blocked, saved, or kicked too high.
Still, the second goal reminded the 'Birds of who they are. Yes, they could have been more attentive. But most importantly, the shots were now on goal. The Heat had two saves in the first half. In the second, they had eight. The goal reminded them that after the loss last year, they want to go back to the national finals and get the trophy this time.
The Thunderbirds began to meet their offensive expectations and had taken complete possession of the Heat's penalty area. As such, something was bound to give.
Ten minutes after the 'Birds' second goal, UBCO received a foul after a player pushed Rukavina into the ground. Oliver Herbert took the free kick, shot it far, and in an instant, all hell broke loose. Players fell to the ground trying to get to the ball first. Rukavina went again for a header shot — even though it was clearly not the day to do so — and the shot was saved by Woodroffe.
UBCO's Ronan Woodroffe struggled to secure the ball all game and gave up multiple goals.
The play could have ended there. But Woodroffe made the same mistake he had made 10 minutes prior and didn't secure the ball. This gave Lucas Dasovic a fraction of a second to kick the ball into the goal as Woodroffe collapsed. The situation could have easily been prevented. Luckily for the Thunderbirds, it wasn't.
Just like that, the 'Birds were up 3–1.
The Heat's first goal gave them confidence. The T-Birds' second goal weakened it. The third destroyed it.
Over a 90-minute period, only the best teams can sustain such a high level of composure. UBC was doing just that, if not improving, as the game went on. UBCO, on the other hand, was slowing down and missing basic passes, making them lose opportunities that could change the direction of the game.
Eventually, even the best get tired. Mosher substituted Norman with Declan Froh, a smart decision considering that coaches tend to choose fast players to play in the last 10-15 minutes to outdo already tired competitors.
The Thunderbirds kept going with their strategy of non-stop shooting — while continuing to throw in some corner kicks in the meantime. In total, the team had 16 corners, compared to UBCO's two. Clearly, they were looking for that corner kick record.
To Mosher, it is evident that his offenders need to improve their first-contact skills, and that this is not an issue exclusive to this match.
"We've had some concerns in some instances where we've gotten a lot of corners in other games, and the deliveries could have been better," he said. "It's something we're trying to focus upon, getting the first contact on the ball, which we need to do a better job of."
That attention to detail was evident across the field. On their last few corner attempts, for example, they finally switched up their header strategy to other kinds of passing. But while UBC worked to sharpen its execution, the Heat seemed almost entirely defeated. Every time they got possession of the ball, they lost it in just a few seconds, and the same slips were being made over and over again.
Hence, three minutes before the game ended, it was no surprise when Woodroffe committed the exact same mistake that had caused the other two UBC goals. As UBC got another corner kick, 'Bird Cameron Hajdu almost scored, but was thwarted by Woodroffe who then, as expected, fell to the ground, as he had done several times. Woodroofe, of course, pushed the ball directly to the foot of Sebastian Agerskov, who was only a few centimetres from the goal.
Unspectacularly, 4–1.
As the referee blew the whistle to end the match, the Thunderbirds celebrated their win in a game that concluded the first half tied. Funnily enough, this game ended with the same number of goals as their other game against each other two weeks prior. It felt like destiny.
On one side of the field, a frustrated Heat will go home and learn from the mistakes made in this match after being outshot 32–4. On the other, the victorious Thunderbirds are blissful — but only for a moment. They took another step forward, but the road leading to nationals is long and treacherous.
"We're still a little early in the season," Godbout said. "But, of course, our goal by the end of it is to win the whole thing."
