CALGARY - Despite going down a man after a red card early in the second half, the Dinos mens' soccer team opened their season positively, downing the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns 2-1 on Saturday at West Varsity Pitch.
New recruit Jared Fillo scored the winning goal for the Dinos in his first CIS game. The other Dinos goal came from usual goal-getter Dominic Russo, while Pronghorns forward James Braid scored the lone tally for the away side.
The season-opener marks the Dinos' fifth straight win against the Pronghorns, who they remain undefeated against since 2012.
The game started cagey, with neither team having any clear-cut chances in the opening minutes.
Employing a 3-5-2 formation, the Dinos looked to get players forward with runs down the wings from Kieran Lane-Oppenheim and Robbie Ovenden-Kamkai. The Dinos wing-backs did a good job of getting at the 'Horns fullbacks but their crosses failed to be converted by anyone up front.
"If we had taken our chances then it's a different game," said Dinos head coach Brendan O'Connell in his first game in charge.
The Dinos first big chance came in the seventh minute from Russo, who latched onto a well-worked flick from the head of midfielder Jorge Leon-Gomez. Russo carried the ball into the 'Horns' 18 yard box, but his shot was parried away by keeper Benjamin Spendlove.
Russo had another chance just a minute later, uncharacteristically squandering a sitter from close range after the ball fell to him at the back post.
Midfielder James Gourlay looked solid for the Dinos in the first half, pulling the strings in midfield and keeping possession for the home side. For the Pronghorns, it was midfielder and ex-Dinos player Chris Rushworth who looked strong in possession.
The Dinos broke the deadlock in the 30th minute, with Russo getting his first goal of the season. Following Lane-Oppenheim's lobbed pass over the Horns' defense, the fourth year forward muscled off the Pronghorn's center backs before putting his left-footed shot past Spendlove and into the bottom corner.
The goal seemed to wake the Pronghorns up. A spell of pressure from the 'Horns at the end of the half resulted in their equalizer in the 39th minute. The Pronghorns worked their way into the Dinos' box down the right side. Dinos Left back Chris Genee slid for the ball and got his foot on it, but his tackle spit the ball right out to 'Horns striker James Braid, who slyly tapped a shot past a sprawling Colin Hasick from close range.
The Pronghorns continued to press for the remainder of the half, registering three or four chances before the whistle signalled the end of the first interval.
The Dinos came out strong to start the second half, but their afternoon got much more complicated after a red card for Gourlay in the 50th minute. The third year put in a studs-up tackle on 'Horns winger Allan Siwela, which the referee deemed dangerous enough to warrant an ejection.
The loss of Gourlay is a crucial one for the Dinos, as the key midfielder will now miss the next three games.
"It's going to be difficult to replace Gourlay, but we'll have a think tonight and regroup for tomorrow," O'Connell said.
Down a man, the Dinos switched to a 4-4-1 formation, hoping to shore up the defense for the remainder of the game and possibly look for chances on the counter attack.
The change in strategy paid off in the 64th minute. A cross from the right from Russo landed at the feet of a wide-open Fillo in front of goal. The first year kept his composure, smacking the ball into the bottom left corner.
"Russo put in a pretty good cross and their defender just happened to miss it. I got my foot on it and just curled it into the corner," Fillo said.
Apart from Fillo, the second half saw a handful of debuts for the Dinos. Cristiano de Carvalho and Mark Bohdan both had positive impacts in their first appearances in Dinos' shirts.
"We've blooded in a few first years today and everyone can see we've got players who've got energy," O'Connell said.
The last big chance of the game for the Dinos came from midfielder Robin Whittaker, who drilled a shot off the crossbar in the 83rd minute.
From the rest of the game it was all about defense, as the Dinos soaked up the Pronghorns' attacks.
Despite the result, O'Connell wasn't completely pleased with the performance and said there is plenty of work to do.
""We got the three points but it was an ugly affair. We didn't play as well as I'd have liked us to," O'Connell said. "But in saying that, we know we're down a man and we showed great character in going on to win the game."
The Dinos' season continues at home tomorrow against the perennially-strong University of Saskatchewan Huskies.
"This is why this is more of a test as a coach than I've ever known," O'Connell said. "Playing back to back games is new to me. Tonight we'll regroup, see who is still fit and we'll have a look at a plan for tomorrow."
