CALGARY - The University of Calgary Dinos men's soccer team clinched their third win of the season with a 4-1 triumph over the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns Thursday afternoon.
Rookie Ty Werbecki scored the first goal of the game in the 4th minute, with an awe-worthy header. Werbecki had received the pass off promising newcomer Bori Falaye, thus scoring his first CIS goal.
The said goal propelled the Dinos into a series of attacks, and, in the 17th minute, after a free kick, Michael McKinnon found the net for the first time this season thanks to an assist from Kieran Lane-Oppenheim.
As the half wore on, the Pronghorns managed to successfully penetrate through the Dinos defense, and, minutes before the half came to a close, midfielder Nico Pasquotti passed to striker Kendell Wiens.
Fifth-year forward and All-Canadian Dominic Russo then retaliated and scored his fifth goal of the season in just four games when he came face-to-face with Lethbridge's goalie, Benjamin Spendlove in the 47th minute. Russo had another chance to test Spendlove's skills in a one-on-one around the 76th minute mark, but was denied when the referee called a foul.
The Pronghorns continued to press, but the Dinos persevered, and moments before the final whistle blew, Lane-Oppenheim scored his third goal of the season, with a surprising assist from the Dinos goalkeeper, Hunter Brett.
Head coach Brendan O'Connell was clearly pleased with the result, praising the ability of the Dinos to maintain cool after the goal by Lethbridge. At halftime, he stressed the importance of the team to "move the ball quicker, keep possession, keep the ball away from [them] and score that extra goal."
When discussing players that impressed, O'Connell singled out Lane-Oppenheim, dubbing him 'man of the match' and highlighting that, "his effort, his heart that he's putting into the games," are all contributing to the fact that "he's having a great season this year."
Calgary had 24 total shots, while Lethbridge managed 13. Brett made six saves for the Dinos, while Spendlove turned away 12 attempts.
Both teams are facing some downtime, with the University of Lethbridge taking on the University of Alberta Golden Bears on Sept. 9th, and University of Calgary playing at UBC-Okanagan Sept. 17, 2016.
- Olivia Krol, Dinos Sports Information