CALGARY - The Thompson Rivers University WolfPack visited the Mount Royal University Cougars on Saturday afternoon. The two teams battled against tough offenses, but the Cougars emerged victorious with a 2-1 win.
Thompson Rivers entered the game with a record of 1-1-4, having experienced their third straight draw against MacEwan University Griffins last weekend.
The Cougars were also ready to strike back after last weekend's double loss. Their standing at the beginning of this weekend was 5-2-0.
Mount Royal's offensive line started off strong with Dane Domic taking several corner kicks and the first shot on the Wolfpack's keeper Jackson Gardner.
Cougars' Parminder Rai went down hard after taking a hit to the face, escorted from the field with a bloody nose. He returned after a couple plays with some bandages, but ready to go.
The WolfPack were battling hard against a strong offensive, earning two yellow cards in the first 25 minutes of play, one each for Christopher Rass and Adam Swanson. They got their first shot on net at the 30 minute mark, narrowly blocked by Cougars' keeper Kyran Valley.
The WolfPack's forward James Fraser managed to slip past Valley to break the stalemate in the added time before the halfway mark. The Cougars valiantly fought back on the final play of the first half, but were unable to close the gap before the whistle.
Shortly after the match resumed, Miguel Da Rocha and Dane Domic of the Cougars maneuvered a goal past Gardner to bring the match to even footing.
At 61 minutes, the Cougars' Mohamed El Gandour took a shot on net, but was quickly blocked by the WolfPack's keeper. Just two minutes later, with assistance from Domic, El Gandour earned Mount Royal's second goal of the game, pushing them into the lead.
Thompson Rivers stole several shots on net but were unable to get past Valley. The players were starting to show the strain of the battle as Hafiz Mahjor of the Cougars was removed from the game due to a severe cramp.
The tensions remained high as the WolfPack tried to salvage at least a tie. As the final whistle rang, El Gandour took a hard hit, but was quickly surrounded by his victorious teammates.
The Cougars will play again on Sunday, September 22, against Trinity Western University Spartans, broadcasted live on CanadaWest.tv, presented by Co-op.
