Game Recap

Women’s Soccer (Canada West)
Sunday, October 22, 2006
TWU Spartans (2) at the University of Calgary Dinos (0)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

O’BRIEN TAKES OVER CANADA WEST GOAL SCORING LEAD
TWU’s Carlee O’Brien paces Spartans to 2-0 win over Dinos

CALGARY – Fourth year forward Carlee O’Brien (Nanaimo, B..) scored here eighth goal of the Canada West season to pace the Trinity Western University Spartans to a 2-0 win over the University of Calgary Dinos Sunday afternoon in Calgary. O’Brien, who scored two goals this weekend, now leads Canada West in goal scoring. She is currently one goal up on Victoria’s Carey Gustafson.

The Spartans used two second half goals – one coming in the 90th minute – to improve to 7-3-1 and clinch a Canada West playoff spot. The win vaults TWU over Calgary (6-3-3) and into fourth place in Canada West. TWU could still finish as high as second place.

O’Brien scored the game winner, her fourth of the season, in the 66th minute on a solo effort. Streaking down the left wing, O’Brien stepping around a Calgary defender before labeling a shot into the far corner past a diving Courtney Heffernan (1st, Calgary).

Lindsay Rohla (4th, Langley, B.C.) added the insurance marker in injury time when she also walked in alone and fired a shot past Heffernan.

Calgary carried the play to the Spartans through most of the match, peppering goalkeeper Veronika Rogina (1st, Surrey, BC) with 16 shots and eight shots on goal. Rogina was equal to the challenge, stopping all eight to earn her first shutout of the season.

Rookie sensation Morena Ianniello had the best opportunity for the Dinos early in the game, stealing the ball from a Spartan defender and walking in alone, but Rogina made a big save to keep the game scoreless. Calgary pressed for much of the opening frame but could not convert, and Trinity Western responded by hemming the Dinos in late in the first half.

Heffernan made her best stop of the game when Dana DuMerton (2nd, Abbotsford, BC) fired a shot that was headed just under the bar, leaping to tip the ball inches over the net. The Spartans had several opportunities in the last five minutes of the first half but could not produce any shots, and the match headed into the break still scoreless.

The two teams matched up evenly against each other, with neither having any real territorial advantage throughout the game. Shots ended 16-14 in favour of Calgary, while the Spartans held an 8-6 margin in shots on goal.

Calgary senior Renae Hunter, playing in the final home game of her varsity career, received Player of the Match honours for the Dinos, while Rohla did the same for Trinity Western.

The Spartans now head home to close out the season against the University of Saskatchewan on Friday and the University of Alberta on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for a 5 p.m. kick-off.

Calgary heads west for the final weekend of the regular season to take on UBC and Victoria next week.

The Canada West Championship goes November 2-4 in Regina, while nationals follow a week later in Victoria.

-TW-
-contributions from Calgary Sports Information