No more west-coast blues

By Kris Kotarski

The University of Calgary’s soccer teams once again gave their fans a reason to smile. Following a crucial road trip to British Columbia last weekend, both Dinos teams proved to be true contenders for Canada West supremacy. The men split their two games with a win against the University of British Columbia and a tough loss to the University of Victoria. The women won and tied their games to stay on top of the Conference, ranked second in the nation.

The strong showing on the coast is a great example of just what sort of season U of C soccer is enjoying. The women look like favourites for the Canada West crown with four wins and a tie in five games this year. An amazing shutout streak by the stingy defence and incredible play from goalie Taryn Swiatek has the Dinos with no goals against for the season.

The men are equally impressive with a 3-1-1 record after five games–quite a turn around from their last-place 2-8 performance of last season. Ranked ninth in the nation, Calgary is turning heads and kicking ass. A 3-1 loss to Victoria. is the only blemish on the men’s record and making the playoffs, the team’s pre-season goal, is starting to look like a certainty.

The Dinos have Thanksgiving weekend off but in two weeks they will travel to Lethbridge to take on the Pronghorns. For the men, it will be an opportunity for redemption after the University of Lethbridge fought out a tough draw in Calgary in the season’s opening weekend. The women will look to keep their winning ways alive against a U of L team they already beat 5-0. If last weekend was any indication, the Dinos will continue to roar.