Lance Doucet, Dinos Communications

CALGARY – The Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack came close all Saturday afternoon but were never able to find the back of the net as the Calgary Dinos picked up a 1-0 decision in their Dinosaur Field debut.

Wet conditions hindered the play throughout 90 minutes as both teams could only muster three shots on goal. Jared Fillo's first tally of the season in the 26th minute secured the Dinos a much needed three points following a pair of heartbreaking loses in Edmonton last weekend.

Thompson Rivers had plenty of opportunities to even the score throughout the afternoon but could not convert. The Wolfpack out-chanced the Dinos and had them on their heels at times, ultimately outshooting the home team 21-6 while registering 13 corners, compared to only one by Calgary.

"The boys were resilient through the 90 minutes. Thompson Rivers is a tough team, they are big, they are strong, and they are physical. Our back four were really good today," said Dinos assistant coach Taylor Evernden. "Our boys can play, it was only a matter of time before we regrouped and got organized."

Off a free kick from the right side of the field, the Dinos brought the ball into the box where it sat loose following a missed header. With the Wolfpack looking to clear, Fillo pounced on the ball and quickly fired it past the first-year goalkeeper Jackson Gardner for the only goal of the game.

The Wolfpack dictated the play for the final 20 minutes of the match, increasing the tempo while rushing the ball back into plays. Their best chance came in the 76th minute when a TRU player was brought down in the box, but the play was flagged for an offside.

Despite a flurry of pressure in front of him, Dinos' goalkeeper Jake Ruschkowski did not have to make a second-half save as he earned his second clean sheet of the season with three stops.

The loss meant another difficult result for the Wolfpack to end their four-game road swing. Thompson Rivers now falls to 1-3-2 on the season with their lone win coming at home. They will return to Kamloops for their next game on Friday, Sept. 21 against the Alberta Golden Bears.

The Dinos improve to 2-3-0 on the season and have now won back-to-back contests on the UCalgary campus. They will be back in action tomorrow afternoon for another tough task versus the UBC Thunderbirds.

"We need to recover big time and correct some of the things that did not go well today because UBC is a very good team," commented Evernden.

-UC-

Photo by David Moll