The T-Birds were on the front foot early, and earned a penalty deep in UVic territory. They elected to try a penalty kick, and Savannah Bauder knocked the ball through the uprights to take a 3-0 lead. The Vikes had the chance to tie the game in the 10th minute on a kick of their own, but they missed to keep the score the same.

From there, the two sides settled into a defence-first battle. UBC almost got a try on the board in the 24th on a run from Bauder down the sideline, but she was tackled out of bounds at the last moment by UVic’s Maddy Grant.

The Vikes put the Thunderbirds under plenty of pressure in the later stages of the first half, and Grant thought she was about to give UVic the lead as she drove into the try zone through a thicket of UBC defenders. However, Rachel Smith showed why she’s the Canada West Player of the Year, as she wrapped up the Vikes attacker and ripped the ball away before she could touch it to the ground, preventing the score in an incredible defensive play.

Soon afterwards, Bauder almost extended the UBC lead with a great solo run down the right flank, kicking it forward with the goal of running onto it herself in the try zone. But there was a great defensive play the other way, with a Vikes defender getting to the ball inches ahead of the T-Birds star, keeping the score at 3-0 heading into halftime.

It was UVic who had the first great chance to score in the second half, with multiple minutes of pressure deep in UBC territory. The T-Birds again put up a fantastic defensive wall though, and stopped the Vikes just a couple yards short of the goal line.

Bauder had another penalty kick attempt in the 58th from a long way out, and was unable to convert. At that point, one could be forgiven for thinking that there might not be any more scoring for the rest of the game.

However, in the 65th minute, the T-Birds finally broke through with a try. They worked the ball out wide very quickly following a ruck just a few yards away from the UVic goal line, getting it to Charity Williams. Williams put her head down and charged forwards, diving into the corner of the try zone for the score.

The Vikes did avoid the shutout by converting a penalty kick in the 70th minute, but it was too late to complete a comeback as the Thunderbirds closed out the game to win their first-ever national banner, and first for a Canada West school since 2013.

Bauder, Smith, Adia Pye and Jordan McLeod were all named Tournament All-Stars, while Smith earned the 2024 U SPORTS Championship MVP award.

The victory capped an incredible season for the Thunderbirds. They finished a historic 2024 campaign with a 9-1 record and both a conference and national championship, all while outscoring their opponents by a combined total of 500-107.