A new Canada West season gets underway this weekend at Masich Place Stadium, as the UNBC Timberwolves welcome the Thompson Rivers WolfPack on Friday before hosting the UFV Cascades on Sunday.

The Timberwolves enter the weekend looking to build on a 0-13-1 record from a season ago, while TRU finished 5-8-1 and UFV went 3-9-2 in 2025.

A Look at the Opponents

Thompson Rivers WolfPack
2025 Record: 5-8-1
Top Scorer from 2025: Esi Lufo – 9 goals, 2 assists, 11 points.
Goalkeeping: Floor Ursem – 13 games, 19 goals against, 46 saves, .708 save percentage, four shutouts.

UFV Cascades
2025 Record: 3-9-2
Top Scorer: Kiana Langston – 3 goals, 0 assists, 3 points.
Goalkeeping: Alana Madec – 11 games, 21 goals against, 45 saves, .682 save percentage, three shutouts. 

Rathke Back Between the Pipes
After a historic rookie campaign, Johanna Rathke returns to anchor the Timberwolves in goal. The Göttingen, Germany product set a Canada West single-season record with 161 saves in 2025 while playing every minute of UNBC's campaign, earning both UNBC Female Athlete of the Year and Women's Soccer MVP honours. Rathke's ability to keep the Timberwolves in games will once again be a major storyline, but with another year of experience under her belt, UNBC will look to provide the standout keeper with more support at both ends of the pitch.

Mellum Leads the Way
Fifth-year defender Kambria Mellum will play a major role in leading the Timberwolves' back line. A veteran of 13 starts in 2025 and the recipient of UNBC's Defensive Player Award last season, Mellum brings experience, composure and leadership to a group looking to take another step forward.

New Faces, New Possibilities
The Timberwolves will also have an exciting influx of newcomers to watch, with names like Noreen Weber, Sicily Ramunno and Hannah Rickards all bringing new energy and talent to the Green and Gold. Each player has the potential to make an early contribution.
UNBC also boasts an abundance of second and third-year players who now have valuable Canada West experience under their belts. With that experience comes an opportunity to turn hard-earned lessons from 2025 into greater consistency and success on the pitch.
For a Timberwolves squad determined to write a different story in 2026, the opening weekend provides its first opportunity to do exactly that — on home turf, in front of a crowd who will be ready for Canada West soccer to return to Northern B.C.