Geordie Carragher, UNBC Sports Information

PRINCE GEORGE – A strong second half propelled the UBC Thunderbirds to a 4-1 victory over the UNBC Timberwolves at the PGYSA Fields on Friday.

Jasmin Dhanda (Surrey, B.C.) paced the Thunderbirds (2-0-4) with two goals, while Rachel Jones (North Vancouver, B.C.) and Janna Speed (Vancouver, B.C.) also scored for the defending CIS champions.

Paige Payne (Kitimat, B.C.) replied for the Timberwolves, her first career CIS goal.

Emily Moore (Victoria, B.C.) made three saves to pick up her first CIS victory for the Thunderbirds, while Lianna Toopitsin (Prince George, B.C.) was busy, stopping 11 UBC shots.

Overall, UBC outshot the Timberwolves 29-4 in the contest.

The Thunderbirds controlled the pace of play in the game's opening 10 minutes, though Toopitsin was up to the task with a number of key saves.

UNBC struck first, as a free kick from Tianna Pius (Prince George, B.C.) found its way into the six-yard box, where Payne retrieved it and found the open net for a 1-0 Timberwolves lead in the 11th minute.

The Thunderbirds continued to apply pressure throughout the first half, and their persistence was rewarded in the 30th minute as Dhanda, the reigning Gunn Baldursson Memorial Award winner as the MVP of the 2015 CIS Women's Soccer Championship, received a through-ball from Aman Shergill (Surrey, B.C.) inside the 18-yard box and calmly side-footed the ball past Toopitsin to level the match at 1-1 going into halftime.

UBC took the lead in the 68th minute on a very similar goal to the first, with Jones finishing off the play after a flick from Dhanda, beating Toopitsin to the far side to put the Thunderbirds up 2-1.

Seven minutes later, Dhanda finished off a give-and-go with Jones to extend the lead further before Speed added an insurance marker in the 89th minute.

The Timberwolves will look for a weekend split on Sunday at noon Pacific against the University of Victoria Vikes (2-1-3), while UBC travels to Edmonton to battle the University of Alberta Pandas (3-0-2) at noon Mountain time.

Photo Credit: Andrea Johnson/UNBC External Relations