Olivia Krol, Dinos Communications Assistant
CALGARY- The University of Calgary men's soccer team was able to clinch a spot in the Canada West Final 4 on Saturday afternoon, as they handed Fraser Valley University a 1-0 defeat at West Varsity Pitch.
Hunter Brett came up with several huge saves in the opening minutes, as the Cascades had some golden chances to lead the game early on. The Dinos keeper made a couple of great diving stops throughout, shoving the ball away from the net, and maintaining a clean sheet.
After generating several chances in counter-attack, Calgary finally broke through in the 31st minute, thanks to a fabulous opportunity produced by a corner kick. Jorge Leon Gomez took the shot, finding Bori Falaye, who flicked a perfect header neatly into the back of the net.
"I told myself I was going to score," said Falaye, laughing. "I noticed that it was a shorter guy marking me, saw an opportunity, and so I shot. When I saw that it went in I thought to myself "Thank God." I knew it was an important goal for us."
Following Falaye's goal, Calgary generated a number of chances, keeping the Cascades on their toes. The Dinos started the second-half off quickly and aggressively, but both Jared Fillo (53rd minute) and Falaye (73rd minute) saw their attempts cleared out by the Cascades keeper.
Falaye remained persistent, and, in 90th minute, when Bryce Connors sent a perfect cross into the box, he responded automatically and showed some magic. He fired a shot right into the net, stunning the goalkeeper, and earning his second goal of the match.
The confident domination displayed by the Dinos resulted in the team leading 25-12 in shots, and Hunter Brett making nine saves compared to 10 by David Hicks.
The Dinos have now advanced to the Canada West Final 4, and will be back in action next weekend, Saturday November 5th and Sunday November 6th, first facing the University of British Columbia.
"UBC is always a good team, I know they'll be good competition. We just have to work hard in training and practice, practice, practice. Hopefully we can get the result we've been fighting for throughout" commented Falaye.
The Canada West Final 4 for the 2016 season will be hosted by the Alberta Golden Bears next weekend. The Dinos are set to take on the UBC Thunderbirds in the conference semifinals on Nov. 5.