Soccersaurs split weekend road trip

By Jon Roe

After 28 minutes, the Dinos held a two to nil advantage on the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Fri., Sept. 8, but they did much more to open their season with the 4-0 win.

The game against the Huskies in Saskatoon was the first of two on the road to begin the season for the Dinos men’s soccer team.

Fifth-year forward Adam MacDonald scored two goals and was the game’s MVP. Matthew Deeprose scored off a scramble resulting from a Dinos corner and Matt Irons added another goal after being substituted in.

“These guys are fitter than they’ve been in a few years,” said Dinos head coach Andy Gibbs. “You’ve got to come out of the block early.”

The Dinos moved on to Edmonton for a Sun., Sept. 10 contest against the University of Alberta Golden Bears. The Bears beat them out of the Canada West bronze medal match last year.

The Bears didn’t need more than the one goal 2004 Canada West rookie of the year John Konye scored at the 25th minute, holding on to the 1-0 victory.

“We didn’t take our opportunities against U of A,” noted Gibbs. “We took them against U of S.”

The Dinos took nine shots, but managed only one on Bears keeper Daniel Gusberti, compared with the seven fired on Wanner. The Bears took eleven shots in all.

Next up for the Dinos is a British Columbia road trip to the fresh Canada West competitors University College of the Fraser Valley Cascades and the Trinity Western University Spartans.

The Cascades are so far 0-2-0 on the season, having lost their first two games by a combined seven goals, scoring none. They played last year in the British Columbia Collegiate Athletic Association, finishing with a 6-5-5 record, missing the playoffs.

Holding an identical record to the Dinos at 1-1-0, the Spartans have outscored their opponents 3-1. They are the current Canada West title-holders, finishing last season with a bronze medal at the nationals and an overall record of 6-2-4.

The Dinos should expect both teams to come out hard at home.

“It’s so natural that the other team comes at you for 20 minutes,” said Gibbs. “Your initial lineup tends to be more defensive than offensive.”

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