UBC women’s soccer is headed to the Canada West quarter-finals this weekend, after a thrilling 3-1 win against the Prairie Division’s sixth-ranked Manitoba Bisons this morning.
The ’Birds got the scoring going early, getting on the board just three minutes into the game with a goal from leading goal-scorer Jasmin Dhanda. Amelia Crawford earned assists credits on the play, slotting the ball across the box for Dhanda to jump on and send into the back netting.
It would take Manitoba much of the half to get back to UBC’s pace, as they earned a penalty kick in the 39th minute for a ’Birds hand ball. Joint leading scorer for the Bisons Florin Wagner stepped up to take it, adding another goal to her season’s tally as she put the ball past UBC keeper Marlee Maracle.
The 1-1 score-line would hold until the 55-minute mark, when a scramble in front of the Bisons’ net led to a goal from UBC midfielder Emma Cunningham — her fourth goal this season.
Twenty minutes later, Dhanda would seal the game’s fate, putting away her own rebound just 15 minutes before the final whistle. The 3-1 score-line would hold, putting UBC one step closer to the national championships.
The Thunderbirds now have two days of downtime before facing the Saskatchewan Huskies at 10 a.m. PT on Sunday in Saskatoon. The Huskies ended their season ranked second in the Prairie Division with a 7-3-4 record. UBC finished in third place in the Pacific Division with a 9-2-3 record.