CALGARY – In what proved to be a highly spirited first Crowchild Classic matchup of the year, the Calgary Dinos men's soccer team finished with a 1-1 draw against crosstown rival Mount Royal Saturday evening in front of a packed Dinosaur Field.

Calgary went down a player early and was forced to play with just 10 men for the final 73 minutes. MRU was able to capitalize on the advantage with a goal midway through the first, only to see the home squad answer back right before halftime for the final 1-1 scoreline.

With the result, both teams move to 1-0-2 on the young season and sit in a three-way tie for first in the Canada West Prairie Division with five points.

"This was a really good reaction by the team to get the tie, to fight their heart out," said Calgary head coach Ramon Mifflin, who spent the previous eight seasons with the Cougars. "It was a back-and-forth game of just long balls, hits, fifty-fifties and seconds. I am super proud of the boys; it was a tremendous effort out there, and we go home with a point against the Canada West champions." 

Playing with the early man advantage, Mount Royal was able to find the back of the net 37 minutes into the first half, with their goal getting credited as an own goal. After earning a corner kick, Skyler Rogers sent the ball into the box where it ricocheted off a defender and trickled into the back of the net – ending Hany Shafie's scoreless streak to start the season at 217 minutes.

The Dinos were able to respond just six minutes later, as Efe Udolu-Joshua scored the first goal of his university career. Once again, the play started on a set piece with a corner from James Greco-Taylor. His service into the box was initially cleared, only to see Owen Antoniuk fire a shot from just outside the top of the box. MRU keeper Sjard Strauss was able to make a diving save on Antoniuk's blast, but Udolu-Joshua was right there for the rebound, one-timing the ball home to level the score at the 43:07 mark.

Emotions continued to run high in the second half of the rivalry game, but neither team managed to add to the scoreline in settling for a draw in the first Crowchild Classic matchup of the year.

"It's an incredibly hard and emotional game," Mifflin said. "This is my past, and these are good friends. It's tense, emotional, a fight, and now I'm embracing being with the Dinos being the leader. So I'm excited to lead them in the future to keep on having these battles." 

Shafie finished the night with three saves for Calgary, while Strauss was credited with just one save in the tie.

The Dinos resume action next Saturday in Edmonton when they'll take on the University of Alberta Golden Bears. On the same day, the Cougars will also travel three hours north to take on the MacEwan Griffins. 

-UC-