EDMONTON - Fifth-year Panda Brooke Lang had a first-half brace to aid the Pandas in a 3-1 dominant victory over the Saskatchewan Huskies Saturday afternoon at Foote Field.
The match had big playoff implications, with the Huskies (7-3-3, 24 points) missing out on a chance to clinch a quarterfinal berth. Alberta (8-4-1, 25 points) moves into second place in the Prairie Division, and can clinch hosting a quarterfinal game with a win against the Regina Cougars tomorrow.
Standout Panda second-year Adrienne Poulin scored at the end of the first half for her tenth goal on the season. She stands two goals away from tying the program's record for goals in a season, and currently sits third in the Canada West Golden Boot race.
It was a complete performance from the Pandas, who outshot the Huskies 15-4 on target, and controlled possession for large swaths of the game.
The first half saw a high-tempo Pandas press that was incredibly effective at dispossessing the Huskies and keeping play largely on the visitors half of the field. The Pandas struggled with turning possession into dangerous chances until Lang finished a tiki-taka sequence started by second-years Poulin and Wanda Czebreszuk for her third goal of the year. The goal put the Pandas up 1-0, a lead that would be built on in the 38th minute with another Lang goal; this one a beautiful headed finish off a pinpoint Erin Hope corner kick. Her brace put the Pandas up 2-0 which would stand until the 45th minute, when Poulin potted her tenth of the year off a through ball from Cara Lang. 3-0 was the score at the half mark.
Huskies first-year keeper Nadia Kalyar had a busy half, facing 15 shots on target and parrying 12. Her counterpart, the Pandas Autumn Wynn, did not face one shot in a great defensive performance from Alberta.
The second-half was quieter than the first, with four Huskies halftime substitutions effectively softening the high-octane Panda attack. The Huskies were unable to break through until third-year striker Cassidy Hayward potted one past Wynn in the 88th minute to break the clean sheet. 3-1 is how the game would finish on the chilly afternoon game.
The Pandas play their regular season finale tomorrow at Foote Field against the Regina Cougars (1-6-5), while the Huskies travel across the North Saskatchewan to take on the Prairie Division winners and U SPORTS #5 ranked MacEwan Griffins (10-2-0).
