Box Score

CALGARY, AB – The U SPORTS top-ranked UBC Thunderbirds defeated the Mount Royal Cougars 1-0 during a brisk fall evening in Calgary in Canada West women's soccer play.

The match started out tight, with the Thunderbirds controlling the tempo of play. Cougars goalkeeper Torrance Langdon was forced to make a few saves, most notably a strike that she got a hand on and tipped over the crossbar.

In the 43rd minute, the officials issued a delay due to thunder and lightning. Both teams cleared the field, hoping the poor weather would pass. Despite dark grey clouds in the distance, the storm stayed away from Stadium Field and allowed the two teams to return to the pitch.

UBC wasted no time after the weather delay. Forward Katalin Tolnai found the back of the net with a nifty chip that floated up and over Langdon to give the undefeated Thunderbirds a 1-0 lead. The tally from Tolnai was her team-leading seventh of the season.

Mount Royal applied pressure on the conference leaders, but each glimpse of a scoring chance was tactically cleared away by the T-Birds. Kareena Kassam brought a surge of energy for MRU later in the second half but was unable to break through the tightly woven UBC backline.

The Thunderbirds prevailed victoriously to improve to 9-0 on the year, narrowly holding on to the 1-0 lead over the resilient Cougars, who move to 2-4-3.

Despite the loss, Cougars head coach Tino Fusco voiced his pride in his squad after only giving up a single goal to the nation's number one ranked team.

"We fought," said Fusco.

The Cougars will have a day to regroup and then will host the University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves at 1 p.m. on Sunday, October 1. Fans can catch the game live at MRU's Stadium Field or stream it on Canada West TV.

Player of the game: Kyla Franks