BC Weekend Watch: UBC Chasing Three Titles, as Lions, Whitecaps Eye Historic Results
It's a packed weekend of BC sports, with UBC hoping to win two soccer championships and a national field hockey title.
It’s championship season for BC teams across plenty of sports.
At the professional level, the BC Lions look to grab a Grey Cup berth for the first time since 2011, while the Vancouver Rise look to rebound in the second leg of their Northern Super League semifinal series against the Montreal Roses. Meanwhile, the Vancouver Whitecaps are closing out their regular season with a visit to last-place CF Montreal, hoping to set the club record for the most points in a single regular season.
Here, Sports Page BC dives into everything on this weekend’s sporting docket.
UBC Hosts Pair of Canada West Soccer Finals
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View post ↗It’s already been a busy end to the week at UBC, but the high-stakes soccer continues at Thunderbird Stadium this weekend with both Canada West men’s and women’s soccer banners to be awarded.
On Thursday, the UBC Thunderbirds picked up a dominant 3-0 win over their rivals, Trinity Western Spartans, to clinch a spot in a seventh straight Canada West final. Yet they will meet a new foe with gold on the line as they face the Thompson Rivers Wolfpack, who punched their first-ever Canada West final and U Sports national championship ticket with a penalty shootout win over the Victoria Vikes, backed by Floor Ursem’s incredible performance between the sticks.
The final is set for 4 p.m. PCT at Thunderbird Stadium, while the Spartans and Vikes battle for bronze at 1 p.m. PCT, with the winner clinching a berth in next week’s U Sports national championship.
On the men’s side, the Thunderbirds look for Canada West glory against the Alberta Golden Bears at 7 p.m. ET, with both already secured spots at the national championship in Victoria next week.
A Packed Weekend of High-Stakes Football
From Friday night lights closing out the BC High School Football season to a packed Saturday featuring the BC Lions against the Edmonton Elks in the CFL West Final and UBC battling the Manitoba Bisons in the Canada West Hardy Cup semifinal, BC has a full weekend of football. Add in the CJFL’s Canadian Bowl, hosted by the Westshore Rebels in Langford against the Regina Thunder, and you won’t be short on live, local gridiron action.
Sports Page BC’s Scott Rintoul dove into all the storylines here.
Whitecaps aim for second, Rise try to survive in Montreal.
Vancouver’s professional soccer teams are seeking strong weekends in Montreal, as the Rise look to stage a remarkable second-leg playoff comeback after losing last week’s NSL semifinal opening leg to the Montreal Roses 3-0 at Swangard Stadium.
Meanwhile, the Whitecaps look to secure second seed in the MLS Supporters’ Shield table against last-place CF Montreal, needing at least a draw. Having already clinched top spot in the Western Conference, finishing higher in the overall table would give the Whitecaps the best possible chance to host the MLS Cup. Expect a full-strength lineup, since Game 1 of the MLS Cup Playoffs first-round best-of-three series isn’t until Nov. 22 at BC Place.
BCSS Track and Field Championships Hit Abbotsford
Some of the province's top high school athletes will be in Abbotsford this weekend for the BC High School Cross Country Provincial Championships at Cleabrook Park on Saturday.
Senior athletes will take on a five-kilometre race, while junior runners battle over 4.1 kilometres and para athletes compete over two kilometres. Races begin at 10 a.m. Races run through the final start time, with the AAA boys division at 1:45 p.m.
On the boys' side, White Rock Christian, M.E.I. and Reynolds are looking to defend their 2025 titles through the A, AA and AAA divisions, respectively, while the women’s side sees Oak Bay chasing an AAA title defense, West Point Grey Academy hunting a fourth-straight AA title and Revelstoke looking to defend their A glory.
UBC Chasing U Sports Field Hockey Gold
The UBC Thunderbirds are favoured to take home gold at the U Sports Women’s Field Hockey Championship in Waterloo, Ont., even after playing to a 1-1 draw with the Toronto Varsity Blues on Thursday night, before the host Waterloo Warriors defeated the UPEI Panthers 4-0.
Friday’s action sees the Thunderbirds face the Warriors before closing out round-robin play against the Panthers on Saturday. After the round robin, the top two teams play for the U Sports title, while the third- and fourth-place finishers battle for bronze.
