Box Score Sunday, October 21, 2012 - Calgary, AB...History was made on Sunday in Canada West women's soccer action as the Mount Royal University Cougars secured their first CIS win, downing the visiting Winnipeg Wesmen 3-0 at Martin Cohos Commons Field in Calgary.

Playing on the home pitch of their former ACAC rival, the SAIT Trojans, the Cougars used Sam Valadao's first half goal, as well as second half tallies by Karlee Hodl and Donella Lockhart in notching their first 'W'. Kelsey Marklund earned the historic win in goal making three saves, while Winnipeg's Caitin Albl took the loss in net for the visitors with eight stops.

“It was 12 games in the making, but we knew it was coming,” said Cougars head coach Tino Fusco on the win. “It's been a process we've been working towards and I'm glad we got the result on the final day. We'll use that to build momentum moving forward. It was great to get a win but we also didn't allow a goal, so that was really positive to see too.”

The game was originally to take place at MRU's Stadium Field, but after a vicious blast of Alberta winter weather on Saturday, the game was rescheduled to SAIT's artificial turf field which is known to better accommodate the snowy conditions.

Despite the cool weather, the Cougars came out red hot to start the match, forcing Winnipeg to play in their own end from the get-go. Their offensive pressure would pay dividends just 20 minutes into the game, as Sam Valadao connected on her first Canada West goal to make it 1-0 Cougars. The score would remain the same after 45 minutes of play.

The Cougars continued as the aggressors in the second half, scoring 15 minutes into the frame, as Donella Lockhart sent a low hard pass into the middle for Karlee Hodl who booted a high soaring ball over the head of Albl to extend the lead.

Hodl would return the favor, some 20 minutes later as she set-up Lockhart for her first CIS goal in the 89th minute to put the exclamation point on the Cougars first win.

The Cougars also channeled their inner 'Mount Royal College Cougars' as the team donned their former MRC uniforms after a jersey mix-up on their way to the pitch. Despite the numerous challenges, the Cougars were able to come out on top, securing the final 3-0.
With the win, the Cougars end their inaugural season in the Canada West with a 1-7-4 record, while Winnipeg wraps up their campaign with a 1-10-1 mark. Both schools will miss the post-season, with only the top eight teams qualifying for playoffs.

Game Note – Sunday's game was also the final game for right-back Janelle Carbert, who has been with the program for five years. Coach Fusco says “the program's been fortunate to have Janelle - she's been amazing team member and leader and will be missed in the future.”