LETHBRIDGE – For 80 minutes on Saturday afternoon, the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns looked on their way to their first win of the season.
The University of Calgary Dinos came from behind in those final 10 minutes, getting goals off a penalty and an unusual Lethbridge own-goal to secure three points and a 2-1 final for the visitors.
With the victory, the Dinos improve to 1-0-2, while the Pronghorns drop to 0-3 with the loss.
The Pronghorns would record their first goal of the season in the 7th minute, thanks to a fantastic play by first-year midfielder Karim Bey. Following a missed Dinos clearing attempt on a Pronghorns corner kick, Bey would track the ball back into the box and finish into the bottom left corner to give the Pronghorns their first lead of the season.
The Pronghorns would continue to press into the Dinos backline, with high-quality chances in the 20th and 36th minutes. Both were turned aside by fourth-year Dinos goalkeeper
Jake Ruschkowski.
Fifth-year Pronghorn 'keeper Nolan French would feature prominently in the second half, turning away multiple opportunities from a pressing Dinos attack.
The tides would start to turn in the 80th minute, with the Dinos being awarded a penalty kick. A ball fired into the goalkeepers' box would be contested by both French and Dinos forward
Kyarash Nakhjiri. Ultimately, a penalty would be awarded to the Dinos, with
James Greco-Taylor capitalizing on the kick to tie the game 1-1.
Shortly after in the 84th minute, in a bizarre sequence of events, the Dinos would go ahead 2-1 thanks to second-year defender
Nahum Tsegai. A shot by Tsegai would ricochet off two Pronghorn defenders, before hitting the top crossbar and going into the net.
A late rally by the 'Horns would fall short, as the Dinos secured their first victory of the season.
The Dinos and Pronghorns will take the field again on Saturday at Dinosaur Field with kickoff set for 2:15 p.m.