KAMLOOPS, B.C. — With a berth in the Canada West Final Four on the line, the Thompson Rivers WolfPack delivered a 3-1 victory over the Saskatchewan Huskies, punching their ticket to the conference semi-finals in emphatic fashion on Saturday, October 31, 2026 in Kamloops, BC.
Less than a minute into the match, off a well-earned corner, the WolfPack came within inches of opening the scoring. Hannah Saxon found herself open at the back post and sent a Makenna Ford corner towards goal, but Huskies keeper
Alyssa Paydli did well to get enough of it to just fend it off and keep it 0-0.
In the ninth minute, the Huskies drew first blood. On a seemingly non-threatening play,
Isabelle Lachance wound her way to the top of the box and sent a shot that bounced off TRU goalkeeper Floor Ursem's outstretched gloves and just rolled into the net behind her.
Cassidy Vieira earned the assist on the match-opening tally.
Two minutes later, the WolfPack grabbed momentum right back. On a ball sent towards the box, TRU veteran Esi Lufo flicked it towards goal, looking for something positive to happen for the home side. Pressure from Kat Stewart forced a misplay by the Huskies defender, before the ball found second-year winger Sara Kuusimaki who deposited it past Paydli to knot the game at 1-1.
The spectators in attendance didn't have much time to relax in their seats as the WolfPack continued to cause chaos for the Saskatchewan backline. In the 16th minute, it paid off. A ball was sent into the box, where a swarm of black and orange kits were in the vicinity to seek the go-ahead marker. Eventually, the bouncing ball found Lufo five yards out. The 2025 Canada West All-Star was was able to shield the defender, turn, and find the bottom corner, making it 2-1 for Thompson Rivers. Aliyah Deneault was credited with the assist.
TRU continued to pressure, earning corner kicks with their pressure and athleticism, and coming increasingly close to extending their lead as Saxon, Lufo, and Deneault all had quality looks in close, but to no avail. In the 45th minute, a ball played into the Pack box eluded the defender and found a waiting
Cheyenne Lehmann in alone. Floor Ursem, TRU's sublime keeper, showed her mettle by getting down and making the clutch stop to maintain the WolfPack advantage heading into halftime.
When the official blew her whistle, TRU held a 2-1 lead, on the strength of a 10-4 advantage in shots towards goal. Mark Pennington's side also led the corner kick battled by a 7-0 margin.
The first fifteen minutes of the second half belonged to Saskatchewan, who possessed the ball and aimed to break down the Pack's defense. Fueled by
Danielle Lehmann's pressure, they would come close to finding a leak multiple times, but Ursem was able to fend off any decent looks the Huskies earned with their vigilance and ball control.
Pennington would look to energize his side's defensive approach, substituting Macyn Jolly, and re-subbing Kat Stewart into the match to provide fresh legs against sustained Saskatchewan possession. The bend-don't-break mindset kept the Huskies at bay, and was eventually rewarded in the 81st minute. Esi Lufo earned a free kick just outside the box when she was taken down by a pair of defenders. It was the Albanian who was on the ball for the free kick and she made no mistake, bending a gorgeous shot around a wall of five Huskies, making it a 3-1 score. The shot was the first on goal of the half for Thompson Rivers.
From there, the Pack looked very much like a team that allowed just 10 goals in 14 games this season, closing the door and securing a tremendously deserved 3-1 victory. TRU held a 15-11 advantage in shots towards goal, and a slight 7-5 nod in shots on goal.
