Calgary, ALTA—The fall weather has begun to cool Calgary as the MRU Cougars women's soccer team hosted the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack. The Cougars won an exciting 2-1 victory over the Wolfpack.
Thompson Rivers University's Juliana La Rotta opened the scoring for today's afternoon game in the seventh minute. With a quick pass from Ainsley Grether from centre field, La Rotta turned the gears on and outran MRU defenders to capture an early lead 1-0 against the MRU Cougars.
In the 29th minute, Wolfpack's Sophia Branby had an opportunity to earn another goal after receiving a quick setup to shoot the ball into MRU's net. Then Cougars' goalie
Ella Filek soared in the air in an attempt to block the shot but thankfully the ball hit the crossbar, keeping the score 1-0.
Things began to heat up in the 35th minute after
Taylor Young threw the ball back into play that would eventually even the score in this match-up. The ball bounced around amongst several players before
Madeleine Albert got possession of the ball. With a gentle pass from Albert,
Gabrielle Linford would send the ball into the back of the net to claim her third goal of the season.
In the 42nd minute,
Ruby Szautner sent a long pass close to centrefield that found
Taylor Young right in front of TRU's net. Young would head the ball just too high, missing a close opportunity to secure a lead before halftime.
The score would remain tied up 1-1 as both teams took a quick break before the second half.
In the 53 minute, Albert continued to seek scoring opportunities alongside her teammates as she redirected a loose ball by heading it towards the net. Alas, De Amaral was ready for Albert's shot attempt, earning back possession for TRU.
During the 70th minute, The Cougars had a corner kick that led to another close call from none other than
Madeleine Albert. Albert headed the ball with a downturn flick, but De Amaral was able to scoop up Albert's attempt, denying a chance for the Cougars to earn a lead.
However, the same duo who had an opportunity before halftime were able to find themselves on the scoreboard and finally secured a 2-1 lead for the Cougars. In the 77th minute, Szautner set up a free kick just past midfield which soared perfectly into the foot of Young to send the ball past the hands of De Amaral.
In the 88th minute,
Tamara Djurisic took the final shot on De Amaral but sent it too wide on the left post of the net.
As the final whistles were blown, this game was an exciting match-up that kept fans on the edge of their seats. Both the Cougars and the Wolfpack had several scoring opportunities with remarkable defensive performances. Nonetheless, the Cougars were able to walk away with a 2-1 win over the TRU Wolfpack.
Today's MVPs are
Taylor Young for the Cougars and Sophia Branby for the Wolfpack.
The Cougars will be back home on Sunday, October 20 for their senior night, facing off against the University of British Columbia Okanagan Heat at 1:00 p.m. MDT.
