LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — The Saskatchewan Huskies pushed until the final whistle but came up just short in a 2-1 road loss to the Lethbridge Pronghorns Saturday afternoon (Oct. 10)at Community Stadium. The defeat drops the Huskies to 4-6-0 on the season, while Lethbridge improved to 5-3-2.
In a tightly contested match, both teams generated eight shots and four shots on goal, but it was the Pronghorns who took advantage of their opportunities in the second half.
The opening 45 minutes were evenly played, with Saskatchewan earning four corner kicks and creating some early pressure in the attacking third.
Ethan Cabral and
Tatenda Shaun Musonza both tested Lethbridge goalkeeper Tegan Romaine, who turned aside each chance to keep the match scoreless heading into halftime. At the other end, Huskies goalkeeper
Jaron Slopinski made a pair of saves, including a stop on a header from Cornel Safsaf just before the break.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 54th minute when Ben Gingras found the back of the net for Lethbridge, scoring his second goal of the season to give the hosts a 1-0 advantage. The goal shifted momentum toward the Pronghorns, who continued to press and doubled their lead in the 73rd minute when Xander McIntyre scored his first goal of the campaign.
Just over a minute after McIntyre's marker, defender
Tomas Elwahab delivered Saskatchewan's answer, scoring his first goal of the season in the 74th minute to cut the deficit to 2-1. The goal breathed life into the Huskies and set up a frantic push over the final 16 minutes.
Saskatchewan continued to push numbers forward in search of an equalizer. Substitute
Aydin Wiebe generated a pair of late opportunities, while Elwahab nearly drew the Huskies level in the 88th minute, forcing Romaine to make a key save. The Huskies also earned two late corner kicks as they increased the pressure around the Lethbridge goal.
Despite the late surge, Saskatchewan could not find a second breakthrough and would fall 2-1.
Saskatchewan returns to Griffiths Stadium next weekend for a pair of matches against the Mount Royal Cougars and Calgary Dinos.
