90th minute tally sends Bears over Dinos in Calgary

CALGARY – A penalty kick in the final minutes lifted the Alberta Golden Bears to a 2-1 win over the University of Calgary Dinos men's soccer team Sunday at Shane Homes West Soccer Dome.

The match capped off an intense opening weekend in Canada West men's soccer.

Alberta struck early after dropping a 3-1 decision to Mount Royal the day before. In the fifth minute, Prince Amanda broke through the middle and fired a shot into the top left corner over Calgary goalkeeper Hany Shafie to make it 1-0.

The Dinos pushed back with pressure through the first half but couldn't find the equalizer. A string of offside calls and Alberta's strong defensive play kept the home side off the scoreboard at halftime.

Calgary finally broke through five minutes into the second half. Owen Antoniuk scored his fifth of the weekend in the 50th minute, slipping past multiple defenders before curling a shot inside the right post to level the match at 1-1.

The game remained tight and physical, with cards handed out to both sides. In the final minutes, a Calgary foul in the box set up Alberta for the decisive chance. Thomas Hope converted from the spot, beating Shafie to restore the Golden Bears' lead at 2-1.

Calgary pressed forward in stoppage time, but rookie goalkeeper Trystan Read turned aside a final effort to secure the win for Alberta.

Both teams finish the opening weekend with 1-1-0 records.

The Dinos begin a two-game road trip Friday, Aug. 29, against the Lethbridge Pronghorns, while the Golden Bears return to Edmonton Saturday, Aug. 30, to face the MacEwan Griffins. Both matches will stream live on CanadaWest.TV.