Wright Field was the scene of two entertaining matches as the Thunderbirds went head-to-head against the University of Calgary Dinos for their final regular games of the season. The ‘Birds blew past the last placed Dinos with 4-0 win on Saturday and 5-3 win on Sunday.
Saturday’s game saw the T-Birds completely shutout the Dinos as they pushed themselves to a two-game winning streak. The first half started out uneventful with both teams on par with attacking and goalscoring chances. Neither of the teams had a leg up on their opposition at the start of the game.
Then Calgary began to push forward, increasing the tempo of the game. In the 10th minute, Dinos forward Lauren Hayes made a breakaway through the ‘Birds defence and drove the ball hard towards the net, but a timely intervention by T-Bird goalkeeper Rowan Harris put it out of play. A corner in the 27th minute looked to be trouble for the 'Birds as Calgary halfback Meghan Norlander fired the ball towards Harris, which Harris again kicked away. The ensuing rebound reached Calgary fullback Kimiko Durrer, but she missed the empty net.
A goal from Emily Martin in the 35th minute opened up the scoring for the ‘Birds. Defender Sophie Jones scored off a penalty corner and first-year Niki Best followed up with a goal from the left side of the field, securing the game and a spot in the CIS championships for the 'Birds.
In the 67th , fullback Meghan Hayden converted another penalty corner, pushing the score to its final point at 4-0.
The T-Birds then rode the momentum to defeat the Dinos on Sunday morning. Fifth-year Hannah Haughn went all out as she scored a hat trick, contributing immensely to the T-Bird’s comeback and 5-3 victory against Calgary.
The game opened with a goal from Calgary forward Danica Heath in the second minute as she fired the ball low after a penalty corner into the left corner of the net. For a moment, it looked like the Dinos' game with a goal so early, but Haughn scored an equalizer seven minutes later, opening the floodgates for T-Bird’s.
Martin, the initial goal scorer from Saturday, scored the second goal of the morning after a fast breakaway by midfielder Gabby Jayme and quick passing between defender Amy Jones and Best opened up the defence. Then in the 32nd minute, second-year Alyssa Nonis slipped the ball past Calgary goalie Beckett Frisch into the net, nudging the T-Birds to a two-goal lead at 3-1.
Haughn showed up again in the second half, scoring her second goal and the T-Birds' fourth. But so did the Dinos, as they scored two goals and threatened to equalize. Calgary fullback Jessica Britton scored off a penalty corner in the 62nd minute and in the next minute — after a turnover right in the ‘Birds half — Calgary midfielder Janelle Rice fired off a shot from the endline. In a feat of incredible athleticism and a very difficult angle, the shot went into the goal, bringing the Dinos close to leveling the scores.
A quick run up the field by Jones and Haughn in the 67th minute left the Dinos exposed and Haughn proceeded to fire the ball into the open net. Haughn’s hat-trick goal was the final goal of the game, sending the Dinos home with a 0-6 conference record.
The Thunderbirds have concluded their regular season with a 4-3-1 conference record and will now prepare for the CIS national championships taking place in Victoria from Nov 5-8.
