CALGARY - The University of Calgary women's soccer team got back to its winning ways on Sunday afternoon as they wrestled out a gutsy 2-0 victory over the Lethbridge Pronghorns Sunday afternoon at McMahon Stadium.


The Dinos were able to record the first shot on goal in the 9th minute, as veteran Mollee Ramsay saw her powerhouse strike saved by the Pronghorns keeper. The said play seemed to propel the team into a series of attacks on their rivals, and the Dinos soon managed to break down the walls of their opposition.


In the 12th minute of play, all-star Jordan Smith netted her first goal of the match as she took a feed from Ramsay. Smith beat the keeper to the left corner as she buried her ninth goal of the 2016 season.


Following Smith's goal, the Dinos had a flurry of shots in the first half, but the Lethbridge defence was able to get out without any harm, keeping the match at 1-0. The half came to an end with the Dinos holding the 12-2 edge in shots.


In the 62nd minute, forward Montana Leonard grabbed onto an opportunity given to her by Smith, and neatly tapped the ball into the net following an impressive and chaotic attack on the Pronghorns. It was Leonard's second goal of the season.


The Dinos played a defensively strong match as goalkeeper Sophia Traxler earned her seventh clean sheet of the season in her 10th outing. Traxler was forced to save just three shots on goal, and the game finished with the Dinos generating 17 shots, while the Pronghorns produced seven.


The win clinches a playoff spot for the Dinos, who will now look to confirm home field advantage in the first round of the postseason over the final four games of the campaign.


"We like wins; I am satisfied with the result," said Dinos Assistant Coach Alexandra Valerio, acting for the absent Troye Flannery. "Dropping points yesterday was a big deal for us, obviously that's never good. This is a good statement from us to say, 'this was just a one-off.' We are here to be the team that we are, which is quite competitive and competes very hard."


Valerio mentioned the changes in the backline contributed to the win, stating, "We did a couple tweaks with the backline; we were just trying to get them to have better shape and possession, so that we could keep the ball move a little quicker and have more balance on the field. I am definitely pleased with that actually - they got instructions and they executed them."


Up next the Dinos will face the MacEwan Griffins and Mount Royal Cougars on Saturday, Oct. 15 and Sunday, Oct. 16 respectively at West Varsity Pitch. Both games kick off at 12 p.m. The Pronghorns will be returning home to play Mount Royal and MacEwan as well, with both games scheduled for 12 p.m.


-UC-