September was filled with Thunderbirds sports action. UBC’s fall sports soccer, rugby, field hockey, cross country and football all began competition, and homecoming celebrations were back for the first time since 2019.
Here are the best moments of September.
10. UBC cross country sweeps Vancouver Spirit Run
The UBC cross country team started their season late this month with the Vancouver Spirit Run at Jericho Beach. Veteran Tyler Dozzi and newcomer Kiana Gibson had the top times for men and women, respectively, and will look to lead their teams to back-to-back Canada West titles.
9. Men’s soccer’s Lennselius gets his first clean sheet
UBC men’s soccer’s Axel Lennselius earned his first clean sheet as a T-Bird on September 25 when his team defeated the UNBC Timberwolves 4–0 at home. Lennselius’ clean sheet marks UBC’s second of the season.
8. UBC golf puts the rest to shame at Multnomah
Women’s and men’s golf took first place in the team and individual categories of the Multnomah Invitational Tournament. For the men, John Paul Kahlert took the crown for the Thunderbirds and four out of the five UBC women’s golfers scooped up the top four places of the women’s leaderboard, with Grace Bell taking first.
7. Men’s rugby scores 32 points in one half
The Thunderbirds secured their first victory of the season against the Trinity Western Spartans with a 40–17 win on September 24. When the halftime whistle blew, the T-Birds held a faint 8–3 lead. The ‘Birds came out strong in the second half, scoring 32 points to deliver a dominant result in front of a full home crowd.
6. Women’s field hockey earns two shutouts on opening weekend
The women’s field hockey season opener weekend against the University of Calgary Dinos was a roaring success, with back-to-back shutouts for third-year goalie Hannah Rumble. Canada West named her Player of the Week following her stellar performance.
5. Streakers run wild in UBC Homecoming game
Two separate streakers took the field to the cheers of a sold-out Homecoming crowd. Both manage to evade capture, one after outrunning a pursuing UBC player. The T-Birds went on to drop their homecoming game 21–13 to the Regina Rams.
4. UBC women’s rugby plays incredible 12-try game
The women’s rugby team scored 12 tries to beat the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns 74–25 on September 25, 3 of which were scored by Piper Logan, who earned Canada West Player of the Week honours earlier that week. The Thunderbirds have played a golden season thus far, outsourcing all of their opponents.
3. UBC football wins home opener 30–21 with fourth-quarter comeback
In a back-and-forth home opener, a strong fourth-quarter performance gave the Thunderbirds a comeback win over the Alberta Golden Bears. Down 21–14 entering the fourth, an exciting set of plays brought UBC’s score up: a 98-yard touchdown pass, a safety and a 6-yard run by quarterback Garrett Rooker.
2. Women’s and men’s hockey open their seasons with identical scores
Both women’s and men’s hockey opened the season on the night of September 30 with 5–2 victories over the University of Calgary Dinos. The women’s side lost their second game of the series 3–0, and the men’s dropped their Saturday game in a shootout.
1. Tolnai scores three goals in seven minutes
During UBC women’s soccer’s home opener hosting the Victoria Vikes on September 1, midfielder Katalin Tolnai scored her first Canada West goal. Five minutes later she scored again, and after two minutes she had scored a hat-trick, powering UBC to a 4–0 finish.
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