VANCOUVER – Trinity Western sits a atop Canada West for the 10th time in program history, capturing the conference title with a 0-0 (6-5 PKs) win over UBC Friday at Thunderbird Stadium. 

Fifth-year goalkeeper Hannah Miller (Langley, B.C.) made the winning save, diving to her left to stop the sixth UBC shooter and life the Spartans to the Canada West championship for the fourth time in six years. 

TWU will now head to the U SPORTS Championship, which starts Nov. 9 at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont.
 
With neither side able to find the breakthrough over the 90 minutes nor the 30 minutes of extra time, the match headed to a penalty shootout. Both teams had their shooting boots on, converting their first five attempts. Danielle Cooper (Surrey, B.C.) hit home the Spartans' sixth, but Janika Sangha saw her effort tipped onto the right post by Miller, sparking joyous celebrations from the travelling Trinity Western supporters as they secured a 6-5 shootout win.

QUOTABLE
Graham Roxburgh – Head Coach
"It's a milestone and it's a special win. This has been a special group. We told them that they had to believe as it's been hard coming here the last few years, although we've had good results. I just felt that maybe they had our number the last couple of times here, but you just got to believe and play and we did play. 
 
"They're pretty direct and they've got some very good players. They had one or two really dangerous, kind of half chances, from wide angles. I thought it was kind of a battle in midfield to be honest and sometimes you just have to have players step up big. I think Hannah Miller is so underrated, an unsung hero, and she deserves everything she gets. What a save to win it on the penalty shootout. It's tough. Two good teams, storied championship teams. One of us had to win it tonight and we were just a bit lucky it was us.

"I've always said since the day I started, winning Canada West for us is just as important as winning nationals. It's easy to say, but this is such a great conference. Two of the best teams in the conference playing here tonight. It's pretty special to win this."

AS IT HAPPENED 
It was a fast-paced end-to-end encounter from the start, with both sides giving their all and some robust tackles flying in.
 
Nisa Reehal came within inches of giving UBC an early lead five minutes in, but her shot whizzed by the back post. UBC were having the better of the play but Trinity Western were looking dangerous in their attacks and their transition.
 
The Spartans almost took the lead in the most dramatic of fashions in the 23rd minute when Sierra Halldorson (Winnipeg) nearly bagged herself an Olimpico but her corner hit off the left post and out.
 
Reehal had another look on goal moments later before Dakota Beckett had to react to a Laren Spiller (Surre, B.C.) effort that came off her knee from a Sophie Crowther (New Westminster, B.C.) cross, and Crowther herself came close from a 42nd minute free kick that caused confusion in the UBC box before being deflected just wide for a corner.
  
TWU came out fast after the restart and Maddie Malnychuk (Langley , B.C.)fired into the side netting just nine seconds in. Mansha Sidhu (Surrey, B.C.) brought a sprawling save out of Beckett in the 68th minute before Katalin Tolnai crashed a curler off the bar for UBC two minutes later.
 
The Thunderbirds kept the pressure on from the subsequent corner forcing a scramble in the Spartans six-yard box before the danger was cleared.
 
Neither side could find the breakthrough in the closing stages and the game headed for 30 minutes of extra time. Ella Sunde fired into the side netting in the 96th minute after another scramble in the Spartans box following a corner, before Nisa Reehal had a couple of chances in the second period of extra time, first seeing a low effort tipped around the near post by Miller, then the UBC winger rounded the Trinity Western keeper but saw her shot cleared by Tilly James (Vancouver).
 
That was as close as either side got to grabbing a dramatic late winner and the match headed to a penalty shootout.
 
With both sides going perfect with their first five penalties, the shootout headed to sudden death. Cooper tucked away Trinity Western's sixth kick, but Sangha could only look on in anguish as her effort cannoned off the right post after a fingertip save by Miller and the Spartans claimed the Canada West crown.
 
NOTABLE
•    The Spartans have now captured 18 Canada West medals since joining the conference in 2001. 
•    TWU was playing in their 11th conference final in the last 12 seasons. 
•    The Spartans have played in 16 Canada West finals, winning 10 times. 
•    Having played UBC in each of the last three CW championship finals, the Spartans have won two, in 2021 and 2023.
•    TWU had lost 1-0 in their only regular season meeting with UBC this year.

UP NEXT
TWU will now head to the U SPORTS Championship, which starts Nov. 9 with the quarter-finals at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont.

About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby and disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 13 U SPORTS team championships and 32 Canada West team championships.

-UBC-