The University of Regina women's soccer team earned a point with a 1-1 draw against the UNBC Timberwolves at the U of R Field on Sunday afternoon.

Sydney Langen found the net for the Cougars (1-2-1) while Paige Payne scored for UNBC as the Timberwolves move to 2-1-1. 

ON THE SCOREBOARD
The first goal of the match came off the foot of Payne right before halftime. Payne took a feed from Julia Babicz down the left wing, worked her way into the box and put a well-placed strike just inside the far post out of the reach of Kylie Bolton. Payne's second of the season carried the visitors into the halftime break with a 1-0 lead.

Regina countered early in the second half, with Langen's first goal of the season coming in the 57th minute. Some extended pressure in the UNBC zone forced a rushed clearing attempt by keeper Brooke Molby, who played the ball directly to Jessica Merk. Merk sent it back towards the goal for Langen, who turned and netted the equalizer with a low shot.

CLOSE CALLS
The Cougars had the first scoring chance of the game in the 6th minute, as a corner from Taylor Bubnick bounced around in the box before finding the foot of Amou Madol. Madol had a look at the net from 12 yards out, but her attempt curled just wide of the goal.

The Timberwolves nearly took back the lead in the 59th minute, as a shot to the top corner from Babicz was deflected just high of the bar by a leaping Bolton. Another shot from Payne in the 71st minute needed a lunging deflection from Bolton to keep the score even.

LATE SCARES
The 82nd minute saw Sofia Jones play a ball into the centre of the box after a rush up the left wing, where Payne was waiting. Bolton came out of her net to meet the UNBC goal scorer and stop the ball, but got the worst of a nasty collision. The second-year keeper was able to shake it off and remain in the game, finishing the match with five saves.

Regina had a late chance of their own to break the deadlock, with a Natalia McCullough left-footed effort missing just wide in the 88th minute.

COACH'S REACTION
"UNBC has a lot of quality players and we knew it was going to be a tough game," Cougar head coach Bob Maltman said. "The way our girls dug deep shows a lot of spirit within our squad.

"We did a lot of good things today, we'll look at the video and I'm quite sure we'll still see opportunities to grow as a team," Maltman added.

NEXT UP
The Cougars will hit the road next weekend for matches against Pacific Division opponents UBC and Victoria. UNBC will return home to host Lethbridge and Mount Royal.