CALGARY - The Dinos women's soccer team return home this weekend for a series with their prairie rivals, the Saskatchewan Huskies and the Alberta Golden Bears and Pandas.

The lady Dinos (1-3-0), after an exciting opening weekend in which they went 1-1, had a rather desultory one in British Columbia this weekend, losing to the Victoria Vikes and the Fraser Valley Cascades by scores of 4-1 and 4-0. Veteran midfielder Lindsay Burrowes scored the lone goal on the weekend for the Dinos, while 'keeper Kristen Barton registered both losses for the club.

The Dinos were clearly outplayed on both sides of the ball in both of their road games, where they were outshot 22-7. The Victoria game was particularly alarming as the Vikes controlled the offence the entire match, putting 13 of a total of 33 shots on goal compared to only four of six for Calgary. With Burrowes accounting for five of those seven total weekend shots on goal, the rest of the Calgary squad will need to step up and find their offensive prowess in time for Saskatchewan and Alberta.

The Huskies enter the weekend sporting a 1-2-1 record, with a 4-0 loss to the Bisons on their resume along with a 1-1 tie with defending national champion Trinity Western. Saskatchewan will be looking for consistency on the pitch, much like the Dinos, as they enter the heart of their schedule.

The Huskies are led by their returning second team Canada West All-Star Elizabeth Hudon , who has a goal to go along with a team leading 10 shots on goal in 2009. Alicia Middlebrook, who in two games in goal for the Huskies has allowed only one goal, has impressed early on in the netminding role, but continues to compete with fellow rookie Marissa Wilford for playing time.

The Pandas of Alberta are 2-2-0 on the season, and are yet another team looking for stability, with this past weekend's perfect record offsetting an opening-week sweep. Beating the Regina Cougars and the Manitoba Bisons by a combined score of 8-2, the Pandas certainly showed their potential on both sides of the ball.

Heather Lund and Amanda Black both lead the charge for the evergreen and gold, where each has registered four points to start the season along with two goals each this past weekend. The Pandas have two Canada West All-Stars patrolling the defence, as first-team selection Veronique Mayer and second-teamer Keisha Wallin make it much easier for Sabina Bullard in net for Alberta.

All games go on the West Varsity Pitch in Calgary, with the women kicking off at noon, followed by the men at 2:15 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.

-UC-