The No.8 ranked University of Alberta Pandas soccer team edged the UBC Okanagan Heat 2-1 at Foote Field on Sunday afternoon to earn their first win of the 2015 Canada West season.

Both second-year Karissa McNutt and fifth-year Julia Ignacio scored for the Pandas, while rookie striker Kaylin Ferguson found the back of the net for the Heat.

The Pandas started the match strong, controlling the ball for the early part of the first half. Ignacio had the first great opportunity of the game, ripping her shot off the crossbar in the eighth minute. The Pandas continued to apply the pressure, as a seeing-eye cross from Ignacio in the 16th minute found McNutt in the UBC Okanagan crease, and she would put the Pandas ahead 1-0.

The 1-0 lead would hold up for the Pandas until added time in the first half. Ferguson's shot from just outside the 18-yard box would find a way past Panda keeper Laura Morrison, and tie the game up at one after 45 minutes. 

The Heat had the first scoring chance of the second half, Michelle Smith's shot in the 50th minute deflecting by a Panda defender, and then again off the crossbar, but the score remained 1-1. 

Ignacio proved to be too much for the Heat defenders, however, as the 2013 Canada West MVP would score on a breakaway for her first goal since her MVP season, and her third point of the current season would prove to be the game-winner. 

The win gives the Pandas four points on the season, after their 2-2 draw on Friday night at home against the Thompson Rivers WolfPack.

The visiting UBC Okanagan Heat (now 1-1-2) will head to Trinity Western for their next match with the 1-1 Spartans on Friday, September 18. The 1-0-1 Pandas will also be on the road for their next two games, as they visit the UBC Thunderbirds on the 18th, and then head to Victoria for a matchup with the UVic Vikes on the 19th.