CALGARY, Alta. — The Saskatchewan Huskies put together a determined effort against the top team in Canada West on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 4), but ultimately dropped a 2-0 decision to the undefeated Calgary Dinos at McMahon Stadium. The loss came against a Calgary squad that improved to 8-0-0 on the season, while the Huskies moved to 5-3-2.
Facing one of the conference's most potent attacking teams, Saskatchewan leaned on a strong defensive performance and standout goaltending from
Alyssa Paydli. The Huskies goalkeeper was busy throughout the afternoon, making seven saves and keeping her team within striking distance despite sustained pressure from the home side.
Calgary controlled much of the opening half, generating nine shots and forcing Paydli into several key stops. The Dinos threatened early through Sofia DiGiacomo, whose header was turned away in the eighth minute, while Sarah Donick and Brooke Batty were also denied by the Saskatchewan netminder. Calgary twice struck the crossbar in the opening 45 minutes as the Huskies weathered wave after wave of pressure.
Despite being outshot, Saskatchewan found a few opportunities of its own.
Hadley Anthony forced a save from Calgary goalkeeper Cheridan Johnson in the ninth minute, while defender
Daraida Sutherland tested Johnson midway through the half. The Huskies continued to defend well before Calgary finally broke through in the 30th minute.
The breakthrough came when DiGiacomo converted a chance set up by Addi White at 29:06. The goal, DiGiacomo's fifth of the season, gave the Dinos a 1-0 lead they carried into halftime.
Any momentum Saskatchewan hoped to build after the break was quickly halted. Just 45 seconds into the second half, White doubled Calgary's advantage, finishing a pass from Donick to make it 2-0. The early second-half marker put the Huskies in chase mode for the remainder of the afternoon.
To their credit, the Huskies continued to compete against the conference leaders. The defensive unit, led by Anthony,
Julie Randall, and Sutherland, limited further damage while Paydli continued her impressive afternoon with second-half saves on DiGiacomo, Donick, and Kaleigh Major.
Calgary finished the contest with a 16-4 edge in shots and a 9-2 advantage in shots on goal. Anthony and Sutherland recorded Saskatchewan's two shots on target, while Johnson earned the clean sheet for the Dinos.
The Huskies now head into their 2026 bye week before returning home to host the MacEwan Griffins and Alberta Pandas on October 17 and 18.
