BOX SCORE EDMONTON – On a snow-laden pitch, the No.5 University of Alberta Golden Bears wrote a dramatic end to their regular season, staging a comeback in the final five minutes of play to claim a 2-1 victory over the University of Calgary Dinos, Sunday afternoon at Foote Field in Edmonton.
 
Fourth-year defender Scott Gilroy and rookie forward Glynndon Dobson netted the late tallies, third-year forward Jermele Campbell grabbing the assist both times.
 
Third-year forward Lane Forsyth scored the lone goal for the Dinos, the loss dropping Calgary's record to 6-6-3, which is good for third place in the Prairie division standings, but one point short of the 6-5-4 Saskatchewan Huskies.
 
Alberta finishes with a 9-2-4 record, having already clinched first place in the Prairie division yesterday to cement their hosting duties for the Canada West men's soccer championship next weekend, November 1-4.
 
The Dinos, fighting for better positioning in the conference standings, came out strong at the start of the game while a light snow covered the field, firing two shots on the Alberta goal in the opening minute.
 
A split-second redirect by Forsyth off a Dominic Russo cross got the visitors on the board in the eighth minute, yet Calgary continued to apply constant pressure in the first half, outshooting Alberta by a considerable 14-3 margin.
 
Two of those shots were remarkable point-blank saves by Bears fourth-year netminder Brad Hughes, getting a leg on Robin Whittaker's first shot in the 44th minute, as well as the ensuing rebound, to keep the game 1-0.
 
Near the end of the first half, field conditions got worse, with the falling snow becoming heavier and blanketing the entire pitch, leading several players to slide across the slippery terrain.
 
With the grounds crew at Foote Field clearing the snow from the crucial areas at halftime, play resumed in the second half, the weather slowly cooling off Calgary's momentum and allowing Alberta to strike.
 
Campbell's cross just outside the right side of the 18-yard box went straight to Gilroy, who drove the ball home in the 85th minute to knot the game at one.
 
Just over four minutes later, Edmonton native Campbell threaded the needle with a long pass to Dobson, who split through two Dino defenders at top speed before knocking the ball to the left side of the Calgary cage for the winning goal.
 
Both Alberta and Calgary will return to Foote Field next weekend for the conference championship, where the Saskatchewan Huskies face off against the Victoria Vikes in the 11 a.m. MT match-up on Thursday, Nov.1, while the Dinos play the Trinity Western Spartans at 1:15 p.m. MT. The UBC Thunderbirds will play the winner of the first game on Friday at 11 a.m. MT and the Golden Bears will play the winner of the second game at 1:15 p.m. MT.

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