Second half goals from Alanna Sydenham and Dessa Peterson, and a third consecutive clean sheet from Kareena Sahota helped boost the UFV Cascades to a 2-1 victory over the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns on Saturday.
The win moves the Cascades to 4-1-1 on the season and continues the program's best conference start since 2015.
How it Happened:
The first scoring opportunity of the game came for the Cascades in the 18
th minute, as a cross from
Rylan Gray found the boot of
Brooklynn Franzon, but Pronghorn goalkeeper Bridie Harding was quick off the line to smother the chance.
Sahota was called into action for the Cascades near the end of the half, making a pair of stops on Lethbridge's Lucy Mundy in the 30
th and 38
th minute to keep the score level going into the break.
The goalkeepers traded saves early in the second, as Sahota made a highlight reel save on a Lisa Popp shot in the 56
th, before Bridie Harding was forced to turn away a dangerous Peterson free kick in the 68
th.
After controlling the bulk of the play in the second half, UFV finally found the breakthrough off the foot of Sydenham in the 75
th minute. A Peterson corner kick found its way to the Cascades' defender at the top of the box, who slotted it into the bottom left corner past a diving Harding.
Peterson doubled the lead just four minutes later as their corner kick found its way into the net, taking a deflection along the way.
Quotable:
UFV head coach Ari Adams
"It was hot. We knew everyone was going to need to show up and we used every single player today, so everyone contributed and did their part."
"Alanna [Sydenham] has been very consistent, both her and Dessa [Peterson] have been consistent all season. Alanna has been a vocal leader, and leading by example, so to get the goal was pretty sweet for her I think."
"We came in with our goal setting and knew that we didn't want goals against. Kareena [Sahota] has stepped up massively and she's leading back there and punching balls away and it's making all the difference in the world."
Where they sit:
At 4-1-1 the Cascades currently sit in second place in the Canada West Pacific Division. UFV will now play their final road game of the season against the University of Calgary on Sunday before embarking on a seven game home stand to close out the season -- beginning with their home opener on September 22 against the University of Saskatchewan.
