Hailey Dirk, Cougar Athletics

CALGARY - The Mount Royal Cougars men's soccer team kicked off their 2018/19 season against the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns, at Mount Royal's Stadium Field. While smoke still hung heavy in the air, the spirit of the game was just brewing in the hearts of these men.

Lethbridge kicked things off and immediately the teams began a back and forth which would persist for the first half of the game. The ball flew from every corner of the field, and in the midst of the madness, MRU's Justin Anderson- Louch, was injured on the field and helped off by a medic.

Moe El Gandour found David Schaefer and he opened the scoring, scoring his first goal as a Cougar. The Pronghorns shots were unsuccessful and by half-time, Schaefer's goal remained the only one scored, with the Cougars leading 1-0 over the Pronghorns. After halftime, Orest Ndabanzee scored the second goal for the Cougars, giving them a 2-0 lead. Soon after, the Cougars were awarded a free kick and captain Daniel Harrison scored, bringing the Cougars up to 3-0.

With the Pronghorns unable to score against the Cougars despite many close calls, Mount Royal triumphantly won the first game of their season by a score of 3-0. El Gandour from the Cougars and Nolan French from the Pronghorns were awarded the Booster Juice Players of the Game. The second game of the season will take place on Sunday, August 26th, with the Mount Royal University Cougars playing against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.