Box Score Box Score

A goal early in the second half by Carly Neeson stood as the winner as No. 7-ranked University of Fraser Valley took a 2-1 win over the Regina Cougars on Sunday afternoon in Canada West women's soccer action at the U of R Field.

Neeson took advantage of a turnover in the 49th minute and fired a rocket to the top shelf, giving the Cascades a lead that they would hold on to for the remainder of the contest. UFV improves to 2-0-0 this season, while the Cougars' Canada West record falls to 0-1-1 with the loss.

“In the first half, we were a little guilty of playing the long ball game, which worked exactly into their game plan,” Cougars head coach Bob Maltman said. “We got much better as the game went along and were able to generate lots of good movement and plenty of scoring opportunities.”

The Cougars had a chance to open the scoring just minutes into the game, but Tayler Firth – looking for her second goal in as many matches – found the bar with a shot from the top of the box. Fraser Valley opened the scoring 15 minutes into the contest off of a Megan Webster corner kick to Danika Snook at the far post.

Regina didn't take long to respond. Eight minutes later, midfielder Molly Glass launched a shot that beat UFV goalkeeper Chantelle Biagioni but rang off the left post. Jayde McFee's header off the rebound found the far corner, giving the second-year player her first goal as a Cougar and tying the game at one.

Both teams had several opportunities to score after Neeson's strike in the second half. Fraser Valley was awarded four corner kicks in a five-minute span midway through the half, the last of which resulted in a wild flurry that saw the Cascades pepper the Regina net with five attempted shots. Two of those shots were saved by Cougar goalkeeper Michelle Anderson, two were blocked by defenders, and the last – an effort by Mackenzie Shopland – was sent wide.

Regina had a chance to reply soon after, but Biagioni made a diving save on a laser by first-year forward Veronica Boesch in the 71st minute that was labelled for the top corner. A free kick by Kelsey Abstreiter from 45 yards out just about found its way in after some confusion between Biagioni and a Cascades defender but just squeaked wide of the net, and Meagan Cormier's close-range shot at the end of injury time missed left.

Fraser Valley ended up with an 18-13 edge in shot attempts for the match. Anderson ended up with six saves for Regina, while Biagioni made five for the Cascades. Corner kicks were also relatively even, with Fraser Valley awarded eight and the Cougars six.

The Cougars will hit the road next weekend for matches against No. 6-ranked UBC (1-0-0) and No. 5 Trinity Western (0-1-0). Regina returns home the following weekend for a pair of matches against Manitoba (0-2-0) on Sept. 24 and Sept. 25.

NOTES: The assist by Glass on McFee's goal was the first of her CIS career ... Glass, Cormier, and Sarah Novak were the only Cougar outfielders to play all 180 minutes this weekend ... kickoff temperature was 29°C and soared to a sticky 32°C by match end.