Sophia Ferreira will have the chance to compete for a national championship at Canada's highest level of university sports.
And, in just her second full season with the UBC women's soccer squad, she's proving she can be a valuable asset on both sides of the ball.
On Saturday (Nov. 5), the Thunderbirds' claimed its 16th Canada West conference banner in school history and Ferreira's play helped her earn the team's most valuable player of the gold-medal match.
The 19-year-old Coquitlam product had one shot in what was her eighth full 90-minute game of the 2022–23 campaign.
She also assisted on what would ultimately be the game-winning goal in UBC's 2-1 triumph over the defending champion Trinity Western Spartans (TWU).
The former Coquitlam Metro-Ford Soccer Club (CMFSC) member sent a long ball down field for teammate Katalin Tolnai to chase, who timed her positioning perfectly to run at the net and score in the fifth minute.
Prior to playoffs, Ferreira was one of five defenders to be named a Canada West first-team roster.
The kinesiology student recorded her first-career collegiate goal, as well as three assists and 12 shots on offense this year to add the all-star honour to her already impressive résumé.
Now, Ferreira is prepping for her trip to Quebec City this weekend for the U Sports women's soccer championships, in which the T-Birds' have been named the number-one seed at the eight-team tournament.
Under the defender's leadership and stellar soccer IQ, UBC finished with a nationwide-best 13-1 regular-season record and went undefeated in the playoffs (3-0).
Ferreira's first season in the blue and gold ended a kick short of the nationals podium as UBC settled for fourth place after a silver-medal finish in Canada West.
The Centennial Secondary alumna was also named the 2021–22 Canada West conference women's soccer rookie of the year after compiling six assists in 10 games.
UBC is set to face host Laval University in the quarter-finals of the single-game knock-out nationals tournament.
The opening kick-off is scheduled for Thursday (Nov. 10) at 3:30 p.m. PDT.
If Ferreira and the T-Birds advance, the semi-finals are earmarked for Friday afternoon (Nov. 11) and the championship will be played on Sunday (Nov. 13) at 11 a.m. PDT.
For more information, including how to watch the games, you can visit U Sports' website.
