Lady soccersaurs take all the weekend’s wins

By Amanda Hu

The University of Calgary women soccersaurs claimed a big victory over two opponents at West Varsity Soccer Pitch Sep. 15 and 16.

Saturday’s game against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies kicked off with a strong effort by the Dinos, as they maintained possession for most of the first half.

Morena Ianniello dominated the pitch, scoring the first of Calgary’s five goals, the only to hit a goal in the first half on either side. The Huskies goalkeeper had some impressive stops, ruining a scoring chance by midfielder Jennifer Crack, aided by Katie Blundell.

The Huskies made a valiant attempt at a comeback in the second half, noticeably taking a greater command of the ball leading to one goal and a strengthening of their own defensive efforts. Saskatchewan’s Elizabeth Hudon made several scoring attempts stopped by Dinos ‘keeper Alana Knowles. Shots on goal stood at 13-11 for Calgary, with Knowles making six saves over the course of the game.

Continued efforts from Ianniello and Lindsay Burrowes brought Calgary’s lead to 5-1, making the match a big win for the team.

The Dinos’ Sunday match against the University of Alberta started off noticeably slow as the Pandas managed to keep the ball in Calgary’s end for most of the first half. Alberta firecracker Keshia Wallin led the charge as the Dinos couldn’t get ahold of any offensive initiative until later in the game. Both teams maintained a stalemate as the score remained unchanged at 0-0 going into halftime.

The second half saw the Dinos take control of the game, making a hard push for Alberta’s goal. After a pass from Blundell, Krista Shepard made a go at scoring, finally putting the score at 1-0 for the Dinos. The lead was nearly unchallenged for the rest of the second half, as efforts by Pandas Sarah Smyth, Caitlin Milne and Lauren Kruper were all thwarted by Calgary’s offensive strength.

Aggressive play was very noticeable throughout the game, as meets between players resulted in several injuries on both sides, including Ianniello and Panda Lyndsay Stewart.

Knowles was noticeably pleased with the Dinos’ victory in both games.

“This was our first shutout of the season,” said Knowles. “It was a big turnaround from last weekend, for sure. We actually had an injured player come in and end up scoring goals. We definitely played with heart.”

Knowles’ confidence was echoed by many of her teammates.

“We played much more aggressively than last weekend, that’s for sure,” said midfielder Jessica Bush.