CALGARY – The University of Victoria Vikes produced an upset to defeat the University of Calgary Dinos 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the Canada West playoffs on Friday at McMahon Stadium.
The teams were scoreless through a first half in which Calgary generated five shots.
Erica Mysko tested Victoria goalkeeper Stefanie Mocnik in the 11th minute, and
Danica Pullishy sent a header on target in the 21st, but Mocnik turned both aside to keep the game goalless.
The Dinos pushed harder after the break, outshooting the Vikes 8-3 in the second half. Mysko led all players with five shots, four of them on target, and Mocnik finished with five saves.
Sofia DiGiacomo's header came closest to breaking the deadlock, but her effort crashed off the crossbar in the 55th minute.
Victoria struck first just moments later. Hannah Harper finished a chance created by Brianne McLeish in the 56th minute to make it 1-0. Calgary were able to level the score in the 62nd minute via an own goal. Adrianna Hilton broke the tie in the 85th minute, sending the ball towards goal where goalkeeper
Cheridan Johnson was unable to keep out. The Dinos made one final push to find another equaliser, however they could not find an equalizer in the closing minutes.
Dinos head coach
Diogo Raposo said the result did not reflect how his team played.
"I don't think the scoreline is representative of what we created, and sometimes you get unlucky," he said. "You need a bit of luck in these moments when it's a must-win game, and I don't think we had that today."
Raposo also paid tribute to the players who suited up for the final time, including three in the team's leadership group, two of which are captains.
"They're massive for the program, and they'll leave a legacy for years to come," he said. "We are who we are because of them. Other players will step up and fill those roles, but their legacy will be felt here for a long time."
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