“My world stood still”: UBC’s Tolnai scores last-minute U SPORTS title clincher over TWU

KINGSTON, ON – Jayda Thompson has sent hundreds of crosses to Katalin Tolnai in training with the UBC Thunderbirds. Despite the routine nature of it, her heart skipped a beat as she delivered a cross in the 118th minute of the U SPORTS Women’s Soccer Final against the Trinity Western Spartans.  A second-year forward with UBC, Thompson regained the ball on a counterattack before curling … Continue reading “My world stood still”: UBC’s Tolnai scores last-minute U SPORTS title clincher over TWU

“We see them often”: UBC, TWU set to add to storied rivalry in U SPORTS Final

KINGSTON, ON – In the 58 times the UBC Thunderbirds and Trinity Western Spartans have met in U SPORTS Women’s Soccer since 2001, the Thunderbirds have taken six Canada West titles, the Spartans nine. On a game-by-game count, the Thunderbirds have won 27 times, the Spartans 19, with 12 draws. Yet, despite all the Canada West regular season and playoff battles, it’s a 2015 match … Continue reading “We see them often”: UBC, TWU set to add to storied rivalry in U SPORTS Final

“We want a different feeling”: TWU crush Laval, advance to all-BC U SPORTS Final

KINGSTON, ON – Ness Timmons Field at Cape Breton University is 1,300 kilometres from Kingston’s Richardson Stadium, the site of the 2023 U SPORTS Women’s Soccer Championship.  Still, the Trinity Western Spartans remember the day they stepped off that pitch in 2021.  The MacEwan Griffins defeated TWU that day, leaving the Spartans without the 2021 U SPORTS title. However, TWU has taken a similar path … Continue reading “We want a different feeling”: TWU crush Laval, advance to all-BC U SPORTS Final

“We’re more excited than we are nervous”: UBC return to U SPORTS Final with win over Montreal

KINGSTON, ON – If the skill, composure, determination and tactical identity could have culminated in a U SPORTS match for the UBC Thunderbirds, it might have been this one.  With feisty tackles, intelligent defending, and an ability to win loose balls on second opportunities, the Thunderbirds pushed the Montreal Carabins to elimination, defeating the defending U SPORTS champions 1-0 with a 33rd-minute own goal off … Continue reading “We’re more excited than we are nervous”: UBC return to U SPORTS Final with win over Montreal

Western trounce Queen’s, Ottawa beat StFX in U SPORTS consolation semifinals

KINGSTON, ON – Rebounding after losing out on a championship is never easy at the U SPORTS national tournaments. However, it’s a required task for half the teams that attend the final eight showdowns in soccer, basketball, volleyball and hockey.  While post-match moments in quarterfinal losses often include tears, teams still can play two more matches, taking on the consolation semifinals and finals. For the … Continue reading Western trounce Queen’s, Ottawa beat StFX in U SPORTS consolation semifinals

TWU’s poise and leadership leads to U SPORTS win over Queen’s

KINGSTON, ON –  When TWU’s Olivia Kranjcec stepped up to take a 117th-minute penalty kick against the Queen’s Gaels in the U SPORTS quarterfinal, she did so as drums and jeers blared in the background of Richardson Stadium.  Calmly, seemingly not feeling the brisk evening and several distractions, the third-year midfielder stepped up and slotted past Gaels’ goalkeeper Kirstin Tynan, giving the TWU Spartans a … Continue reading TWU’s poise and leadership leads to U SPORTS win over Queen’s

“The energy was amazing”: Tolnai’s goal pushes UBC past Ottawa in clash of U SPORTS titans

KINGSTON, ON – With nine student-athletes from the 2019 U SPORTS Championship team, the UBC Thunderbirds know what winning is like on the biggest stage of Canadian women’s soccer.  Yet, after being eliminated in penalty shootouts against the Laval Rouge et Or in the 2021 semifinals and 2022 quarterfinals, getting past a national championship game in regulation had been a long-awaited goal for a program … Continue reading “The energy was amazing”: Tolnai’s goal pushes UBC past Ottawa in clash of U SPORTS titans

Smith excited for StFX’s young future as Montreal eliminates X-Women from U SPORTS

KINGSTON, ON – When Amanda Smith stepped up to the award podium on Wednesday night to accept the U SPORTS Coach of the Year Award for absent head coach Graham Kennedy, it marked another step in a historic season, even though the StFX X-Women fell to the Montreal Carabins in the national championship quarterfinal. After going 12-0-0 through the AUS regular season and a perfect … Continue reading Smith excited for StFX’s young future as Montreal eliminates X-Women from U SPORTS

Despite 2022, UBC and TWU are contenders at U SPORTS Women’s Soccer Championship

KINGSTON, ON – The Canada West conference has traditionally been a dominant force at the U SPORTS Women’s Soccer Championship, but not since 2019 has a team from the conference taken the banner.  While the TWU Spartans and UBC Thunderbirds are no strangers to the U SPORTS tournament, they’ve struggled in recent iterations, with both sides eliminated in the first round last year, alongside the … Continue reading Despite 2022, UBC and TWU are contenders at U SPORTS Women’s Soccer Championship

What has to go right for each OUA team to win U SPORTS women’s soccer

TORONTO, ON – The 2023 U SPORTS Women’s Soccer Championships make their way to an OUA-hosted school for the first time since 2018, with the Queen’s Gaels hosting each match at Kingston, Ont’s Richardson Stadium.  The uOttawa Gee-Gees enter the tournament as the OUA Champions, having beaten the Gaels 5-1 in the OUA Final a week ago; they also return as the lone team from … Continue reading What has to go right for each OUA team to win U SPORTS women’s soccer