ALEXANDER QUON

Failing to back up a strong first game perfomance, the Huskies suffered their first loss of the season.

The Huskies men’s soccer team continued their strong early season form despite encountering their first loss of the season after going 1-1 in a two match series against the resilient University of Lethbridge Pronghorns this past weekend.

In game one of the weekend series the Huskies came away with a hard fought 1-0 win. Garrett Peters scored a late second half goal in the 76th minute on a cross from Luigi Bekwayo to lead the Dogs to victory.

Although the Pronghorns were left scoreless in the game they were not without chances. They had 14 attempted shots with seven on net but failed to capitalize due to the excellent goaltending of the Huskies’ Michal Bandula. The keeper recorded seven saves in the game and did not allow any goals for his second clean sheet of the season.

In the 18th minute striker Brett Levis was the first Huskies player to get a shot on net. The ball trickled through the hands of Lethbridge’s keeper Tyler Boast only to be cleared off the line by defender Scott Clomp.

The Pronghorns were able to keep the Huskies to only 10 attempted shots with only three of them on net. However, unlike the home team the Huskies were able to make good off of their limited shots.

The second half was full of tough offensive play with most of the scoring opportunities coming from the Huskies in the last 45 minutes. Mitch Bauche had a good look in the 56th minute but could not find the net as his shot slid out wide.

In total, four corner kicks and seven shots were recorded by the Huskies with the lone goal of the game being capped in this half.

Sunday’s game was another hard fought affair between the Pronghorns and the Huskies but a win was not in the cards for the Dogs as they fell 2-1 to Lethbridge’s impressive offense.

Saskatchewan’s Brandon Holmes opened the scoring in the 26th minute of the match with assists from teammates Mathew Gillot and Garrett Peters. Holmes was able to strike the ball from 25 yards out into the bottom left corner of the home team’s net.

The Pronghorns were able to draw even in the 38th minute during a scramble in the Huskies penalty area. Lethbridge’s Shlomo Swan-Azmon snuck the ball past Bandalu, tying the game at an even 1-1.

The Huskies were able to produce great offense throughout the game but could not capitalize consistently on the chances they received. The Huskies were able to get 27 shots off in total but could only place seven on net.

The Pronghorns drew ahead of the Dogs in the second half when a handball in the box allowed Guilherme Costa a penalty shot in the 64th minute. Costa nailed the penalty shot, giving Lethbridge the lead.

Though the Huskies were unable to get an equalizer in the final 20 minutes, they threatened numerous times. In the 78th minute Bekwayo missed a shot and in extra time Jordian Farahani had a chance on net only for his shot to sail high over the bar.

After this weekend’s action the Huskies fall to a 3-1-0 record and still hold first place in the Prairie Division of Canada West. The Pronghorns improve to a record of 1-3-0 and have found themselves their first points of the season.

The Huskies host the Calgary Dino’s at PotashCorp Park for a two game weekend series on Sept. 21 and Sept. 22 at 2:15 P.M.

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Photo: Eion Colquhoun