CALGARY – Three second-half goals propelled the University of Calgary Dinos to a 3-1 comeback victory over the University of Manitoba Bisons Saturday at West Varsity Soccer Pitch.

BOX SCORE

Morena Ianniello, Caitlin Milne, and Lindsay Burrowes all tallied for the Dinos to lead them to their first victory of the season.

Sarah Haiko scored for the Bisons, who drop to 0-3-2.

The Bisons opened the scoring in the 11th minute when Manitoba's Carrie Nash intercepted a Dinos corner and dashed down the length of the field to win the Bisons a corner of their own. Nash then curled in a cross that found the head of Haiko, who deflected it past Dinos goalkeeper Kristen Barton to give Manitoba an early lead.

The remainder of the first half was dominated by Calgary. The Dinos utilized great ball control in the offensive zone to earn corner kick after corner kick, but struggled to convert their scoring opportunities into shots on goal.

Dinos head coach Robin Slot summarized his team's frustration from trailing at the half.

“We were a little unlucky,” he said. “We hit a post, and had numerous other chances to score. We could have been leading.”

Manitoba opened the second half seemingly content to defend their one goal lead. For the first fifteen minutes their strategy succeeded, as they denied the Dinos any space to move the ball and ground the pace of play to a near halt. Calgary's perseverance would not go unrewarded, however.

The Dinos equalized in the 66th minute when Ianniello raced down the left wing and fired a left-footed strike into the upper left corner behind Bisons goalkeeper Laura Harrison. The goal was personal justice for Ianniello, who up to that point had narrowly missed scoring several times.

Twelve minutes later, Milne gave the Dinos the lead when she slipped through the Manitoba defense and received an exquisite pass from Sheila Morrison. Milne converted the breakaway as she patiently waited for Harrison to show her hand before neatly sliding the ball into the right side of the net.

Burrowes put the game on ice when she volleyed home a cross from Tessa Miller in injury time.

“We deserved that win,” a relieved Slot said. “We pressured their defense, got lots of scoring opportunities, and finally converted some in the final half-hour. I'm very pleased for the team.”

The Dinos will go for a perfect weekend when they host the Regina Cougars tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. at West Varsity Soccer Pitch, while Manitoba will head down the road to face the Pronghorns Sunday afternoon in Lethbridge.

Goal Scorers:

MAN – Haiko (13th min. )
CGY – Ianniello (66th min. )
CGY – Milne (78th min. )
CGY – Burrowes (92nd min. )

Goalkeepers:

CGY – Barton, 90 mins, 1 GA
MAN – Harrison, 90 mins, 3 GA

-UC-