EDMONTON – Fifth-year midfielder Aislin Phillips scored an early penalty and added an assist as the Calgary Dinos maintained their undefeated start with a 2-1 victory Saturday afternoon at Foote Field.

The Cochrane, Alta. product was granted a 14th-minute penalty kick and buried in the bottom right for her second goal of the campaign, and she added an assist on a Mykena Walker goal early in the second half to help lift the Dinos to their seventh win in as many games in the Canada West season. It was an impressive effort from the visitors, who outshot the hosts 18-1 (8-1 on target), and were in control of the ball for large swathes of possession.

For the Pandas, now 3-2-2, Tara Simonot scored in the 63rd-minute to maintain a three-game point streak. However, they were playing out of their own end for the majority of the game, and struggled to put much pressure on the Calgary backline, which has now only allowed two goals on the season. Fifth-year keeper Autumn Wynn was impactful, saving six of eight shots on target, but was unable to completely bottle up the CW's second best attack.

Calgary was able to get off to a hot start in this contest, as in just the 13th-minute they were able to draw a penalty, which fifth-year Aislin Phillips made no mistake on for her second goal of the year, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead. While the Dinos would largely be locked in a possession battle, with the host Pandas impressing on that front, the lethal offence would get a few grade-A chances around the 38th-minute when on four straight corners Sofia DiGiacomo would head two onto goal – one off the post and the other into the hands of the veteran Wynn. The game would break at half with Calgary holding on to a 1-0 lead.

The early second half was absolutely dominated by the Dinos, culminating in a perfect go ball from Phillips to Mykena Walker, who buried it past a pressuring Wynn for her first of the year, and a 2-0 advantage in the 61st-minute. However, the Pandas would regroup and just two minutes of play later, Wanda Czebreszuk would make a well-timed challenge on a switch ball and immediately send the ball into a running Simonot, who made no mistake for her second goal of the year to cut the deficit in half. The Pandas would have a couple more runs, but a constrictive Calgary press would be more impressive, holding the ball in the visitor end for the majority of the last minutes as they closed this one out with a 2-1 win.

The Pandas play their fourth-straight home game Sunday as the MRU Cougars visit Foote Field, while the Dinos travel across the North Saskatchewan to face the MacEwan Griffins.

-UC-