CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos claimed their first win of the season with a victory over the University of Alberta Pandas 3-2 Saturday afternoon.

The Dinos drew first blood on the Pandas when at 16:06 in the first half, Keara Chicquen set up Serena Lockhart for the team's first goal of the season. Chicquen set up the goal, and the next one, with incredible speed down the right side of the Pandas' end. Finding herself on a two-on-one she dished the ball off to Lockhart who tapped the ball into the back of the net.

The Pandas responded immediately with a goal at 19:20 from a short corner with Jacqueline Trautman beating Dinos goaltender Stephanie Petrowitsch high.

The Dinos, not content with a tie game, retook the lead before the half. Chicquen led the set-up again, this time with a sprint down the left side and a shot that set up Meaghan Kemmler to bury the rebound for the second Calgary goal.

After the half, the Pandas tied the game quickly with another short corner goal that set up a hotly contested second half that wouldn't be settled until the dying minutes.

The game winner came with six minutes left when the Dinos saw their first success with a short corner. That short corner resulted in a rocket of a shot from Kaitlin Longworth that popped up off of Pandas goaltender Tory Spencer and landed in the net.

Despite a frenzied effort by the Pandas, the Dinos were able to hang onto the lead in the final minutes to take home their first win of the season.

“We executed. We kept our pace up,” commented Dinos head coach Jenn Swagar after the win. “We are fit and strong and they couldn't keep up.

“The physical aspect is there, now we need to focus on the mental aspect of the game.”

The Alberta rivals finish their double-header series Sunday at 1 p.m. at Hawkings Field.

-UC-