CALGARY – The UBC Thunderbirds withstood a flurry of second-half scoring opportunities from the University of Calgary Dinos to escape with a 1-0 victory and complete a weekend series sweep Sunday at Hawkings Field.
On an afternoon where both teams were battling the bitter rain and cold in addition to each other, Sarah MacAulay's goal at 37:40 was all the Thunderbirds would need as Bea Francisco posted her first shutout of the season to improve the Thunderbirds to 2-0.
UBC controlled possession for much of the first half but was unable to penetrate the Dinos defense to create any serious scoring chances. Caitlin Evans had the best opportunity in the 12th minute when she beat Dinos goalkeeper Steph Petrowitsch stick side but narrowly missed the left post. The game remained scoreless at halftime.
The Thunderbirds opened the scoring early in the second half on an individual effort from MacAulay. Weaving through the defense untouched, she deposited a shot past Petrowitsch to give UBC the lead.
The deficit energized the Dinos as they dominated play thereafter. Kaitlin Longworth was a force, wreaking havoc on the Thunderbirds defense by causing numerous turnovers, which led to quality scoring chances. In the 58th minute, Keara Chicquen fired a pass along the goal line that barely eluded Longworth's stick for a sure goal. Ten minutes later, the Dinos were left looking skyward once again as Claire Beaton executed nearly the identical pass just beyond the reach of Penny Cuthbert.
The final buzzer was met with a collective groan from Dinos supporters, with all sensing that an equalizing goal was imminent had time not run out.
Frustrated by the result, Dinos head coach Jenn Swagar knows her team deserved better.
“We had a fantastic second half, that's the team I expect to see,” said Swagar. “We were moving the ball with flow and just couldn't capitalize on our chances. A greater awareness of the play and an effort to get to the far post was all that was needed for us to win that game.”
Goal Scorer:
UBC – Sarah MacAulay (37:40)
Goaltenders:
UBC – Bea Francisco, 70 mins, 0 GA
CGY – Steph Petrowitsch, 70 mins, 1 GA
