CALGARY – A year of growth for the University of Calgary Dinos will come down to the final couple of games as they attempt to reach the postseason while playing two teams from the prairies this weekend at West Varsity Soccer Pitch.

Games begin on Saturday as both Dinos squads host the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. On Sunday, the ladies team will take on the University of Regina Cougars, while the men will play a second contest against the Huskies.

Coming into their final games at home this year, the Dinos women are 3-4-3, while the men have been on a huge upswing and hold a record of 5-4-3.

With new faces on the field for both Calgary men's and women's teams, it would be easy to suggest there was a bit of uncertainty going into the 2012 campaign. Faulty starts didn't help the clubs as they faced a number of the conference's top opponents right from the beginning. As the season has worn on though, both teams have jelled and will have a chance at clinching playoff spot this weekend.

Saskatchewan arrives in town looking to improve their postseason standing with the season winding down. The Huskies women's team has already guaranteed itself a spot in Canada West's new eight team playoff for women's soccer. With two wins against Calgary and Lethbridge, Saskatchewan could finish as high as second. The men's team sits tied with Calgary for second. Both the Dinos and Huskies are being chased by the Mount Royal Cougars, who sit four points back, for one of the two remaining playoff slots.

After playing in Lethbridge on Saturday, the Regina women will battle Calgary and look to put a sour end to the Dinos' year. The Regina Cougars are in fourth place, and like the lady Huskies are looking to move up the standings which are dominated at the top by teams from British Columbia. Regina has won three straight games coming into this weekend, and can finish tied with TWU if they pick up all six points and the Spartans drop their final matches.

Thirteen first-year players and a couple of veterans have worked through growing pains in 2012 and now sit within striking distance of Canada West's second season. Playing her final regular season CIS games, Kristen Barton has been solid all year for the Dinos and will look to close out her colligate career in style. The team currently sits tied for eighth with the Manitoba Bisons, but would not be in the postseason if it were to start today because Manitoba holds the tie breaker against Calgary. If the Dinos are going to have success this weekend and leapfrog the Bisons into sole possession of the final playoff spot, they will need strong performances from Maddie Lee and Nikki Furukawa

Among the large number of rookies on Calgary this year, Lee and Furukawa have blossomed into stars for the Dinos and lead the team in scoring. Furukawa has five goals and two assists, with her best game this year coming against UNBC when she recorded a hat-trick. Lee has two goals and five assists while playing as one of the team's top forwards along with fourth-year captain Lauren Deeks.

With wins in their past three games and points in their past five, the Dinos men have turned their season around and currently sit tied for second in the Prairie Division. A 5-0 triumph at UNBC on Sept. 29 and a resilient 2-2 tie against Mount Royal the following week stand out as games that have changed the direction of Calgary's season. With the Alberta already locked into a playoff spot, it is important for Calgary to pick up as many points as possible to hold off Saskatchewan and Mount Royal. The Dinos will have their hands full as they try hold off Saskatchewan's' top offensive threat Brett Levis who has seven goals and five assists in 10 games. The Dinos' leading scorer is Izak Lawrence with three goals and three assists in nine contests.

While the Dinos women's team will have to wait till the end of the weekend to see where and if they will play in the playoffs, the men's team will conclude their regular season against the rival University of Alberta Golden Bears in Edmonton on Oct. 27-28.

-UC-