The UNBC Timberwolves had a tough test on the road Saturday evening, falling 7-0 to the UBC Thunderbirds at Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver. Through a demanding 90 minutes against a fast-paced UBC side, defender Keeley Read put in a determined, full-match shift on the backline to earn Mr. Mikes Player of the Game honors.

The Thunderbirds came out on the attack right from the start, testing UNBC goalkeeper Johanna Rathke in the third minute with an early shot from Sophie Harrison. UNBC pushed back immediately to earn a corner kick of their own just a minute later. UBC opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Sienna Gibson found the net off a pass from Maddy Norman to make it 1-0. Rathke stood tall for the remainder of the half to keep the Timberwolves right in it, diving to her left to stop a dangerous Norman free kick in the 11th minute and charging out to the edge of the box in the 37th minute to slide and deflect away another UBC chance.

UNBC's best offensive opportunity of the first half came in the 20th minute, when Read stepped up and sent a well-placed shot on target that forced a save from UBC goalkeeper Marilena Spagnolo. With Rathke and the backline holding off several corner kicks, the Timberwolves went into the halftime break trailing by just one goal.

In the second half UBC came out flying. The Thunderbirds scored three goals in a five-minute span through Norman, Bailey Doerksen, and Hannah Bains to push their lead to 4-0 by the 54th minute.

Despite the deficit, UNBC kept competing and looking for ways forward. Kambria Mellum stepped up with key tackles to break up UBC runs, while Alysa Leclerc worked hard in the midfield to connect passes and move the ball up the pitch. Maresha Manulak also came up with an important block on a UBC header inside the box. However, UBC added three more goals late in the half from Felicia Hanisch to wrap up the 7-0 result.

Read's effort never wavered on the backline, battling until the final whistle against one of the top offensive lineups in the conference.

The Timberwolves now return home to Prince George for their final weekend of the Canada West regular season. They will host the Victoria Vikes at Masich Place Stadium on Friday, October 23, with kickoff set for 5:00 PM.