CALGARY – A glimmer of hope remains for a Canada West postseason bid as the Dinos women's soccer team close out the 2009 regular season, with one last road trip to the Prairies on tap.

The Dinos have had an up and down season up to this point, with big victories such as a season-opening 5-4 comeback win against the Regina Cougars, where Tessa Miller marked a hat trick, and tough losses, with a recent 6-0 loss to UBC - courtesy of four goals from Janine Frazao.

Regardless, Calgary is intent on finishing the season on a high note, and is not yet eliminated from the playoff picture, despite long odds.

With a sweep of the Manitoba Bisons and the Cougars this weekend, the Dinos will have done as much as they can do in their attempt for a playoff bid. Calgary will also need to rely on the Lethbridge Pronghorns to beat the Bison on Sunday, and the Saskatchewan Huskies to sweep the Alberta Pandas as well. A tough scenario to be sure, but it gives the Dinos something to play for nonetheless.

The Dinos will once again hope for a strong effort from their forwards, who have been excellent all year. Morena Ianniello, Katie Blundell and Tessa Miller have scored 14 of the Dinos 18 goals on the year, with Ianniello ranking tenth in the league in points.

The Manitoba Bisons (6-5-1) have fallen hard from grace after a blazing start to the season, and currently find themselves one point out of the fourth and final playoff spot in Canada West. Desiree Scott, who joined Dinos midfielder Lindsay Burrowes in Belgrade, Serbia for the 2009 Summer Universiade, leads Manitoba with 10 points, good for second in the conference.

The Dinos dropped their early season matchup to the Bison by a score of 1-0.

Calgary will end 2009 the way they started it, with a match against the aforementioned Cougars. The Cougars (2-10-0) went 36 matches without a victory before this season, snapping the streak against Lethbridge in late September. Meagan Cormier leads Regina in points by a wide margin, posting seven points in 12 games.

Should Calgary miss the postseason, the Dinos will bid farewell to the versatile Andrea Hayes this weekend, who despite major knee injuries, has persevered and finished her five years of eligibility with the Dinos. Hayes posted four goals and four assists in her career, playing many different positions for Calgary.

-UC-