Dinos shut out by Vikes in season opener

CALGARY – The Canada West field hockey season opened up on Sept. 13 with the University of Calgary Dinos hosting the Victoria Vikes at Hawkings Field.

The Dinos were shut out by Vikes goalkeeper Larissa Piva and the rest of the visitors, while the Vikes were able to get six past Calgary. Goal scorers for the Vikes included Mei Lin Cheung, Emily Bennett, Amanda Kurianowicz, Ann Walters-Shumka, Lindsay Cole and Marin Davidson.

"The Vikes move the ball really quickly and I think they attack with purpose," said Dinos head coach Henre Meyer.

"They don't give you much time to set yourself up and that's where I think we got caught and we were slow to react so they're really proactive in the way they play and they are a well-oiled machine."

Despite the score, Dinos goalkeeper Alicia Frisch has made a major impact on the squad in her first game with them, making major saves and showing her leadership skills. The Calgary native is a transfer from the University of Maine in her fourth year of eligibility.

"Alicia is a very experienced goalkeeper. She's an absolute leader and everyone looks up to her. She performed really, really well so it's nice to have her in that role helping the younger goalkeepers and other players as well that aren't as experienced. It's good to have someone like her on board."

As for the rest of the team, Henre believes there were a number of players, both veterans and rookies, that stepped up in their first match of the 2014-15 season.

"Jess Britton had a really good game at the back making some huge tackles and getting nice and low. Janelle Rice was instrumental up the middle and Nadia Izzo worked very, very hard. Some of the freshman worked hard too. Bronwyn Breen was getting to key areas and making some passes with some good leads. I just need a little bit more from everyone else, but it'll come.

With a team like the Dinos, who have almost an entire squad made up of new faces, Henre expects improvements as the team plays more games together.

"We're a very inexperienced team and they obviously beat themselves a little bit with some basic things we've been working on – stepping up, reading the play, ball watching – but there's some positives to take away. We could possibly be a lot closer to this team than the score resembled and I'd look for a big improvement for tomorrow."

The Dinos will host the Vikes in the second game of a double-header this weekend at 1pm.

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Players Mentioned

#13 Nadia Izzo: F; 5' 2"; 3rd

#5 Janelle Rice: M; 5' 3"; 3rd

#30 Beckett Frisch: GK; 5' 6"; 4th

Players Mentioned

#13 Nadia Izzo
: 5' 2"; 3rd
: F

#5 Janelle Rice
: 5' 3"; 3rd
: M

#30 Beckett Frisch
: 5' 6"; 4th
: GK

Players Mentioned

#13 Nadia Izzo

#5 Janelle Rice

#30 Beckett Frisch

Players Mentioned

#13 Nadia Izzo

#5 Janelle Rice

#30 Beckett Frisch