Offence explodes for women's soccer in decisive win over UNBC

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. — The UBC Okanagan Heat women's soccer team (2-2-1) secured a decisive 6-0 victory over the UNBC Timberwolves (0-7-0) on Friday at Masich Place Stadium. The Heat dominated the second half with four goals, while maintaining a strong defence throughout the match. The team registered 24 shots, with 15 on goal, and Allyson Ford recorded four saves to earn the shutout.

The first half began with a tense back-and-forth, but UBCO broke the deadlock at the 16th minute, as Caitlyn Chiu capitalized on an assist from Megan Sun to open the scoring. Despite facing pressure, Ford's performance in goal included a crucial save in the 12th minute, maintaining the advantage. Near the end of the half, Neala Peters extended the lead with a goal at the 45th minute, sending the Heat into halftime with a 2-0 advantage over UNBC.

The second half began with the Heat solidifying their lead as Eleni Georgacacos scored in the 53rd minute with an assist from Abigail Taneda. Just 12 minutes later, Haden Thomas extended the advantage to 4-0, marking her first goal of the season. Annabelle Walker and Maria Georgacacos each added goals in the 70th and 87th minutes, respectively, sealing a decisive 6-0 victory.

Georgacacos scored one goal on four shots, with two shots on goal. Walker also found the back of the net, converting both of her shots into shots on goal. Sun contributed to the team's offence with an assist and added three shots, one of which was on target. Chiu scored the game-winning goal with her two shots on goal and finished with a total of two shots.

In their next game, the Heat will host the U SPORTS No. 1-ranked UBC Thunderbirds (6-0-) on Homecoming weekend on Friday, September 19. The match is set to kick off at 5:30 p.m. at Nonis Sports Field.

Game Notes:
- Three Heat players scored the first goals of their UBCO career in the win, including Chiu, Thomas, and Georgacacos
- Ford made her first career start for the Heat, recording the clean sheet
- Taneda recorded her third assist of the season, moving her into second place in Canada West for assists this year
- 11 different players recorded a shot for the Heat as their 24 shots were tied for the fourth-most in team history