With heavy rain pouring down onto the pitch, the UFV Cascades kicked off the second half with a chance of doing something no team has done so far this year — forcing a draw with the No. 1 team in the country. On the road against the heavily-favoured Thunderbirds, the halftime scoreboard read 0–0.
Entering Friday night, the UBC Thunderbirds were first place in Canada West with a superb record of 6–0–0, allowing no goals while scoring 21.
On the other end of the pitch, the Cascades came into the match with a respectable record: 2 wins, 2 ties, and 2 losses. They've been stellar defensively — except for a 5–0 blowout loss at home to the Thunderbirds on Sept. 11. Before Friday's game, UFV had allowed eight goals all season — more than half of them from that one match.
Both teams entered Friday expecting a chess match — but the character of the game would be dependent on the Cascades' opening defence.
UFV's 5–0 loss saw UBC's Maddy Norman score a quick goal 30 seconds into the game, forcing the Cascades to play outside of their defensive shell in an attempt to tie. Unlike that match, Friday's game, especially its first half, emphasized the Cascades' plan of playing a low block and suffocating the Thunderbirds attack.
The second half told a different story. UBC adapted to the fall weather and the Cascades' defensively-minded counterattack strategy through a change in formation, subbing in Sophia Abiera, Hannah Bains, and the offensively-minded Ella Santarsieri. These lineup changes decided the outcome of the match.
Norman, Canada West's leader in goals, would open the scoring in the 58th minute off a cornered cross from second-half substitute Santarsieri. This tally was Norman's seventh goal in seven games to open the season.
Sabrina Nascimento Carreira (#14) celebrates after scoring late in the contest against UFV, the third goal of the half that put the Cascades away.
Similar to the Thunderbirds' victory last Saturday against Victoria — where they tallied two goals in the second half to win 2–0 — once UBC got the first marker, the floodgates opened. Santarsieri added a goal with a decisive shot from well out, with fellow substitute Bains recording an assist on the play. In the final five minutes, Sabrina Nascimento Carreira would add her second goal of the season to cap a 3–0 victory over the Cascades at Thunderbird Stadium on a chilly and rainy Vancouver night.
While they had zero shots on goal in the first half, UBC registered five on goal in the second. For head coach Jesse Symons, that was because of his substitutes. "If you don't start, you are going to be a game-changer," he said.
The reason they needed game-changers was because of their poor offensive showing in the opening half. As a result of the tight-checking, low block, counterattack gameplay from the Cascades, the Thunderbirds attempted to utilize their speed up the flanks to beat them. This strategy did not work out.
Similarly to their last match against UFV, the Thunderbirds kicked off with pace. Jayda Thompson, who scored a brace last week, rushed up the field with the ball and was fouled from behind, giving Taiya Dennehy a free kick in the Cascades' end. With a prayer for an early goal, Dennehy launched a long lofted ball from the 40 yard mark.
It was a dangerous chance, bouncing off UFV midfielder Catie Cameron and finding Sophia Ferreira in the penalty box — but her reaction shot was deftly blocked by Cascade captain Camryn Lyon. The ball floated to UFV keeper Alana Madec, who methodically caught the ball.
UBC's missed free kick opportunity was a crucial moment for UFV in preventing another T-Birds blowout. The Cascades' defence set the tone for the first half.
Both teams turned the ball over frequently throughout the opening minutes, creating a sloppy opening frame. From the bleachers, it was visible that the slick, rain-soaked turf was affecting the play, something Symons confirmed post-game.
The Thunderbirds continued to push for an early tally to break the Cascades' defence, sending forward balls for their rushing offensive players.
During the third minute, Thompson rushed up the left flank with little room, deking between defenders to find space in front, but her kick resulted in friendly fire, hitting an unsuspecting Norman and ending the chance.
A few minutes later, Chloe Van Schalkwyk tapped the ball to forward Nina Rhode, who sent a hard forward pass for Norman to run onto. Her sprinting first touch was too strong, and Madec dived onto it.
Another dangerous chance for UBC saw Ferreira launch a cross just over the heads of Norman and Thompson. With chance after chance, the opening ten minutes seemed to foretell an upcoming Thunderbird goal. They did not.
Despite controlling possession, UBC couldn't get any shots on net past UFV's low block.
The Cascades began to crowd the box to fend off the pressing Thunderbirds. The T-Birds' frustration began in the 13th minute, when Rhode chipped a ball over defender Jaidyn Jackson and dribbled into a lethal spot, only to lose it in a crowd. Nine Cascade defenders were spread out low on this play in a wall, fending off the ravenous Thunderbirds.
Right after, another chance presented itself to Felicia Hanisch, but the Cascades' low block forced her to shoot the ball in a bad spot, the kick sailing way over the net.
The Cascades were satisfied with taking on the pressure and just kicking the ball away with zero regard for the resulting throw-in. They found every ball in the box, fending off every cross and boxing out every corner opportunity for the Thunderbirds.
In response, the Thunderbirds turned up the heat even more, playing with only one defender back.
Then in the 22nd minute, UBC finally broke through. Dennehy, striding up the right side of the pitch, kicked a cross over Norman, finding Rhode, who flicked the ball up at the goal. Crossbar. Right post. In the net. But the flag was up for an offside.
It was a tight call, with Norman and Rhode seeming to be well behind the defender. Regardless, the goal was called off, and the Thunderbirds were left demoralized. The Cascades remained comfortable in their defensive positioning, and the fall rain began to pour.
Maddy Norman (#23) continues to be an impeccable scoring threat for the T-Birds, scoring at a goal-a-game rate to lead the conference.
UBC continued to struggle. Rushes up the right flank, no. Rushes up the left flank, no. Corner kicks, no. It was clinical defending from the Cascades.
The visiting team recorded the only two shots on goal of the half, with a dangerously-marked free kick for Lyon resulting in a routine catch for Emma Sparrow. Then, the dangerous Kiana Langston sent a hard shot from 3o yards out, but again, Sparrow caught the ball with ease. While neither shot posed much of a threat, it was still more than UBC had managed by halftime.
The Thunderbirds needed to make adjustments going into the decisive second half. "I thought we were a little too direct in the first half … I told them to get the ball down, and [to] want it and get after it," said Symons. While the focus was on offence, Symons also stressed the need to remain vigilant on defence, especially against Langston. "UFV has some quick players up top, and we had to make sure we [were] transition ready."
As the stadium lights turned on to signal night, the players retook the pitch. Abiera replaced Rhode, Bains replaced Hanisch, and Santarsieri replaced the defender Ferreria to add further offensive flair. They were Symons' game changers.
It didn't take long for them to make an impact. A throw-in for UBC led to a Norman shot, and while it didn't reach the net, a Cascade defender kicked the ball right to Santarsieri. In the box with rare room to shoot, Santarsieri smoked a hard kick, but Madec spectacularly lunged to her left, diverting the ball out of harm's way. It was the Thunderbirds' first shot on goal.
UFV continued to defend well, but the wall began to show cracks.
At the 57th minute, Santarsieri set up for a corner kick. As she delivered a hard cross, Norman ran to open space to the left of the crowd, and blasted a header. Madec and the defence had no chance, as finally, Norman opened the scoring, off a perfect cross from Santarsieri.
After being stifled by UFV's tight defence all day, this play exposed the Cascades crowding the box, leaving space higher and wider in the danger zone.
All they really needed was one. After breaking the Cascades' defensive shell, UBC settled into the second half with chances left and right. Another chance off a free kick cross from Dennehy. Santarsieri pushed upfield for another rush, but was closed off by the Cascades. The dexterous Thompson broke through UFV's defenders, but barely ran out of space close to the goal.
Then, in the 65th minute, the Thunderbirds broke through again. Bains sent a grass-cutter pass up to Santarsieri 20 yards away from the goal. She touched the ball forward, going high enough to be just out of Madec's reach, crossing under the bar and into the netting.
It didn't take long for Santarsieri to contribute again. In the 87th minute, she was presented another opportunity with a free kick. She smartly passed the ball to Abiera, whose intital shot was saved by Madec, but Carreira was there to bury the rebound. After a first half of nearly no offence, the 'Birds now had a comfortable second half lead, up 3–0 with nearly no time left.
The three halftime substitutions factored into all three goals — the assist and goal for Santarsieri, the shot by Abiera leading to a rebound goal, and the assist from Bains.
Ella Santarsieri only played the second half, but still made a massive impact, scoring a goal and an assist.
It was an especially impressive performance for Santarsieri, notching her second goal of the season. "She can hit the ball well and her service is unbelievable," said Symons. "Overall, her personality to want to get into those in-between spaces … it was a joy to watch her today."'
While the slow first half could be cause for concern, Symons was impressed with how his team responded. "In [the] second half, we had really good control," he said. "We pushed them really low and were able to get on the ball a lot."
No matter how it manifested, UBC has to be pleased with their victory which adds to their streak of season-opening clean sheets with their 41st victory in a row within Canada West.
With their seventh victory, UBC showcased that even the most stalwart defence cannot hold them at bay. Every player on this team plays a role, even when they start the match on the bench.
