Vancouver, BC - For the fourth straight week a UBC Thunderbirds soccer player was named the Canada West Athlete of the Week. Men's soccer player Gagandeep Dosanjh (Abbotsford, BC) earned the honours for the week of October 1-7. The third year forward now leads the Canada West in goals, assists, and points, while leading the Thunderbirds to a perfect 8-0-0 start.
Dosanjh scored five goals and assisted on three others to help his Thunderbirds men's soccer team to two wins over UNBC on the weekend.
Dosanjh recorded a hat trick on Friday, Oct. 5 as UBC shutout UNBC 6-0. He assisted on
Navid Mashinchi's game-winning goal in the 23rd minute before scoring his first tally of the match just four minutes later on a breakaway. Dosanjh added two more second-half markers to ensure the UBC victory.
The next night, Dosanjh was once again the spark in a T-Bird win. He fired the ball that eventually ended up in the UNBC net after an own goal in the 13th minute. He then scored the winner in the 20th minute and, six minutes after that, the third-year player assisted on
Reynold Stewart's goal that put UBC up by three. Dosanjh finished the night with his second goal in the 33rd minute.
With his outstanding weekend performance, the Abbotsford, B.C. native now leads the Canada West in goals (11), assists (seven) and points (18). His 11 goals are already the most by a Canada West player in six years.
CIS #2 UBC (8-0-0) will play at #4 Alberta on Saturday and unranked Saskatchewan on Sunday.
Previous UBC soccer players to win Canada West Athlete of the Week honours include Janine Frazao (Port Moody, BC), Rachel Ramsden (Richmond, BC), and
Marco Visintin (Vancouver, BC).
Alberta third-yer soccer goalkeeper Kelti Biggs was named the female Canada West Athlete of the Week as she was instrumental in helping the CIS #8 Pandas secure four points from a pair of nationally ranked teams over the weekend.
The former Canada West rookie of the year (2010) made 19 saves on the weekend and recorded two shutouts as the Pandas tied #10 UBC 0-0 and defeated #2 Trinity Western 2-0.
On Saturday, Biggs made nine stops against UBC, including a critical diving save in the 72
nd minute when she stoned Thunderbird striker Rachael Sawer from in close as the T-Birds stormed the Alberta goal on a 2-on-1. It was her fourth shutout of her season and the 17
th in her three-year CIS career.
The Spruce Grove, Alta. native and Physical Education and Recreation student was even better on Sunday as she helped Alberta to a 2-0 win over the previously unbeaten Trinity Western Spartans. In fact, it was TWU's first loss in 22 games, going back to September 2011. Biggs made 10 saves against the Spartans, including a point blank save in the 27
th minute off Jenna Di Nunzio, and a five-alarm stop in the 87
th minute on Jessica King.
She now has five shutouts on the season, five wins and three ties.
The Pandas return to action next weekend when they travel to Saskatoon to take on the Saskatchewan Huskies.
