CALGARY – The fourth-ranked University of Calgary Dinos women's soccer team continued its winning streak as they battled the Manitoba Bisons to a 3-0 victory Sunday at West Varsity Pitch.
The scoreless first half was fast-paced and situated in the center of the pitch for the vast majority, with the Dinos maintaining most of the possession. Mollee Ramsay and Natalie Arnett both had several on-target attempts, but were ultimately unable to finesse the ball over the Bisons goalkeeper.
Dinos Head Coach Troye Flannery disclosed, "I was pretty demanding at half, seeing as it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. I told the girls that they aren't focusing enough on the details discussed, and they [the Bisons] had a game plan for us, just as we had a game plan for them. We weren't executing it properly, so I just reminded them that unless we step up, we wont get the result that we want."
In the second half, the Dinos certainly brought the heat, scoring their first goal early into the 50th minute. Fourth year forward Jordan Smith exploited a chance handed by Arnett, and found the net for the seventh time this season.
Moments later, in the 67th, Smith scored her eighth goal of the season, capitalizing on a pass made by Maddie Lee. The Bisons attempted retaliation, but were denied several times by Calgary's defense.
Amanda Pak demonstrated some serious skills in the 78th minute, when she shot a rocket of a goal in the upper corner, fed to her by Dominica Wronski, off a free kick. The ball flew past keeper Maddie Wilford.
Coach Flannery praised Pak, stating, "that kid is special; despite several knee surgeries, she's still playing soccer and is a massive part of the team. Like I said yesterday, she doesn't get enough credit. She took the ball, rocket, and you could see by the reaction on the bench that she does a lot of good for the team.
Pak, alongside of Smith and Montana Leonard were all praised for their great contribution to the successful match.
In team totals, Calgary finished the day with 20 shots compared to two by the Manitoba Bisons. Sophia Traxler made one save for the Dinos, while Wilford turned away seven attempts.
The next matches for both teams take place this upcoming weekend, October 1 – 2. The Dinos (6-0-0) will leave home soil to face the Saskatchewan Huskies and Regina Cougars, while the Bisons (2-3-1) will be returning to Alberta to play the Mount Royal Cougars and MacEwan Griffins.
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