CALGARY - Sporting identical 1-1 records, the University of Calgary Dinos soccer teams will attempt to improve these this weekend against formidable Canada West competition.

This past weekend the lady Dinos capped off a dramatic Saturday in which they came back from a 4-1 deficit with 12 minutes to go against the Regina Cougars to win 5-4. That win, however, was followed by a tough 1-0 loss at the hands of the Manitoba Bisons.

In their win against the Cougars, Calgary got a performance to remember from their core players, as Tessa Miller, Morena Ianniello and Lindsay Burrowes combined for four goals and four assists in the final 12 minutes. Miller, in particular, shone with three goals in that span, two of them coming in spectacular fashion by way of the header and the free kick.

Kristen Barton shook off a tough outing on Saturday in time to play very well in net for the Dinos on Sunday, giving up only one goal on the afternoon.

The Dinos head to Victoria on Saturday to face the Vikes, and then return to the mainland on Sunday to face the Fraser Valley Cascades. In a matchup of the two B.C. teams this past Saturday, it was the Vikes who came out on top with a 3-1 victory.

Kendra Flock, who was a part of Team Canada alongside the Dinos' Burrowes at the 2009 Summer Universiade in Belgrade, made her presence felt for the Vikes on Saturday, scoring two goals in the first half. Victoria is also led by their first team All-Canadian fullback Holly Fiddick and goalkeeper Stephanie Parker, who led Canada West in both saves and save percentage in 2008.

The Cascades are led by their two forwards Kristen Vanderpauw and Kristina Habbas who scored 10 and nine points respectively in 2008.

The Victoria Vikes should be a very tough test for the Dinos, as they finished first in Canada West in 2008, and took a 3-1 decision against Calgary last September. The Dinos will need to overcome a strong Victoria offense, which scored 35 goals last season. Calgary did beat the Cascades in 2008 by a score of 1-0 and also finished ahead of them in Canada West standings, where the UFV finished ninth out of ten teams.

The Dinos men are in the midst of a transition season and started off on the right foot last weekend, coming back from a tough loss in Victoria to beat the Fraser Valley Cascades 2-1 in Abbotsford. David Bird was the hero in that game, scoring the game winner in a scramble situation in the 68th minute.

This upcoming weekend will be equally as challenging for Calgary, as they stay on the road to face the Trinity Western Spartans and the UBC Thunderbirds. Both B.C. teams had surprising struggles on the road last weekend, where UBC dropped two games to Alberta and Saskatchewan, while the Spartans won against the Huskies before tying the Bears.

After disposing of the T-Birds 2-1 in 2008 Canada West playoff action, Trinity Western narrowly lost in the CIS Championship game to the York Lions by a score of 1-0. Both the Spartans and the T-Birds opened the year ranked No. 2 and No. 9 in the CIS Top 10, respectively, although the Spartans dropped to third after the tie to Alberta while UBC dropped out of the rankings entirely.

The Dinos are led by their goaltender #J.P. Crescenzi# who was a Canada West All-Star in 2006. While largely untested in his win over the Cascades, Crescenzi made five tough saves in the loss to the Vikes. Crescenzi, along with fullback Joe Long and forward Brian Delaney, who registered a goal himself against the Cascades on Sunday, make up the heart of the Dinos team.

The Spartans are led by their goalkeeper Andrew Kowan and their two time All-Canadian defender Paul Hamilton. Jason Wiens who is one of many Spartans attempting to fill the void left by the departure of prolific goal scorer Adrian Kekec, scored two goals for the Spartans this past weekend, and will look to keep it rolling against the Dinos.

Certainly eager to rebound after a surprising weekend sweep, the T-Birds will be tough to handle. 2007 Canada West Rookie of the Year Jorge Angel-Mira leads the offence, while team captain Graham Smith, who scored the team's lone goal over the weekend, leads the defence. Both players will get their second attempt to make UBC fans forget about the key losses of defender Nathan Poole and goalkeeper Srdjan Djekanovic in a pivotal weekend for the club.

The Dinos lost both of their matches to the B.C. squads in 2008, by scores of 3-0 and 1-0 to the Spartans, and 2-0 to the T-Birds.

Both Dinos teams return home next weekend, hosting the Saskatchewan Huskies on Saturday, Sept. 26 and the Alberta Pandas and Golden Bears the following day.

-UC-