CALGARY – A pair of tries in the second half saw the University of Calgary Dinos to a 12-6 season-opening victory over the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns on Friday evening at McMahon Stadium.

Following a scoreless first half, the Dinos were the first to break through on the scoreboard with a try by Taylor Price. The Pronghorns came back and took the lead with back-to-back penalty goals before Taejah Thompson secured the win with a highlight-reel catch and score.

The win puts the Dinos at 1-0 before their B.C. road swing, while the Pronghorns fall to 1-1 in 2021.

The Pronghorns came into the game firing, forcing the Dinos to play in their defensive end for the first 15 minutes of the game. The Dinos defence held strong and survived the early Lethbridge onslaught without conceiving points. 

The momentum shifted to the Dinos knocking on the Pronghorns' door after some excellent kick play. The 'Horns were able to hold Kate Knight up at the try line at the 17th minute leading to a goal-line dropout.

The Pronghorns replied by marching down the field and putting the pressure on the Dinos defence to hold on until the referee's halftime whistle. 

The first half saw gritty defensive play from both teams; putting pressure on the offence and preventing either team from creating any momentum. Both teams had to fight for every inch on the field, with each team only breaking their opponent 22-line twice. 

Price broke the deadlock with a try 54 minutes into the game. The Dinos started with a lineout at the 22-yard line and mauled it into the try zone. The conversion by Patricia Lively was unsuccessful. 

Caitlin Sears of the Pronghorns responded with a converted penalty goal at the 60th minute from 22-yards out. She followed that score up with an impressive second converted a penalty goal from 40-yards out just three minutes later to give Lethbridge a 6-5 advantage.

The offence kept coming with the Dinos scoring their second try of the game at the 70th minute. A chip kick by Lively saw Thompson catch the ball on the run and punch through the Lethbridge line. Thompson fought through a tackle to get to the try line and give the Dinos the lead. Lively converted the kick to make the score 12-6. 

The Pronghorns pushed back but the Dinos defence held for their first win of the season. 

The Dinos look to build off the momentum of this win next Thursday when they are in Victoria to face the Vikes. The Pronghorns will look for a bounce-back game next Saturday in Edmonton against the Pandas. 
 
SCORING SUMMARY 
1st Half
No Scoring

2nd Half
54' CGY – Taylor Price try, 5-0 CGY
60' LET – Caitlin Sears penalty goal – 5-3 CGY
63' LET – Caitlin Sears penalty goal – 6-5 LET
70' CGY – Taejah Thompson try (Patricia Lively convert) – 12-6 CGY