EDMONTON –
Montana Leonard just keeps finding ways to score goals.
A day after becoming the University of Calgary's all-time scoring leader in women's soccer, the fifth-year midfielder cashed in twice more Sunday to lead the Dinos to a 2-0 win over the Alberta Pandas at Foote Field. The goals, Leonard's 15th and 16th of the season tie her for the single-season Canada West scoring record with 16 – a feat she has accomplished in just 10 games.
Both goals came late in the contest after the Dinos had two goals called back offside. Leonard finally broke the deadlock in the 70th minute as she accepted a pass from
Laura Kautz near the top of the box, fought for possession hip-to-hip with a defender, and finessed the ball past charging Alberta goalkeeper Ashley Turner to give the Dinos the lead.
In the final five minutes, Leonard executed a nifty give-and-go with
Jayden Berg, taking Berg's pass with one touch from the left side of the area, sending it up and over the diving Turner to tie the conference record and give the Dinos the insurance they needed.
"She's just one of those players that has a nose for goal," said Dinos head coach
Troye Flannery. "She is brave and bold, and she plays around some exceptional players who find her in the right moments. She's ambitious, and her mentality is that she is here to perform and get what's ready for what's next in her career."
The Pandas, playing for their playoff lives on Seniors' Day, put forward a solid effort and held the Dinos off for more than an hour while peppering Calgary 'keeper
Lauren Houghton with 12 shots and forcing her into six saves. Calgary countered with 19 shots, putting 11 on Turner.
"They're a team we respect, and it was a fight," said Flannery. "We had to manage the emotion around the game – we communicated better than we did yesterday. It's always tough to beat the same team twice in a row, especially away from home, but we got the job done so I'm happy with that."
Two more fixtures remain for the defending conference champion Dinos (8-1-1), and they're important ones as they host the MacEwan Griffins (9-1-0) in a doubleheader next weekend. Calgary enters the final week of the regular season two points back of MacEwan for first place in the Central Division and the playoff hosting rights that come along with that spot.
Kickoff is set for noon next Saturday and Sunday.