Justin McCaffrey, Mount Royal Sports Information

CALGARY – Niko Saler scored twice to lead the Alberta Golden Bears to a 2-0 victory over the Mount Royal Cougars.

The Prairie Division's top two teams squared off Saturday afternoon at MRU Stadium Field. The game lived up to all the hype as the two sides played a fast, intense game right off the bat.

Connor James and Kamil Zielinski had to be sharp in the early going to fend off the abundance of scoring chances for each side.

Neither squad was able to make the score sheet until the final minute of the first half. Just as injury time was looming, Arminder Virk committed a hard foul just outside the penalty area, giving Alberta a free kick.

Niko Saler stepped up and bent the ball around the four-man wall. The ball was so beautifully placed that not even a diving Zielinski could get to it in the Cougars' goal.

In the 62nd minute Saler was at it again off another free kick. From nearly the identical spot on the opposite side of the field, Saler again bent the ball around the wall and past Zielinski to extend the Golden Bears' lead to two.

Mount Royal falls to 6-3-2 the loss, while Alberta improves to 10-0-1 with the win.

The Cougars will have no time to dwell on the loss as they will face MacEwan tomorrow afternoon at 1:30pm at MRU Stadium Field.

Alberta will remain in town and head up Crowchild trail for a date with the Dinos. Kickoff is set for 1:30pm.