SASKATOON, Sask. — The Saskatchewan Huskies delivered an offensive showcase on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 27), cruising to a 7-1 victory over the Regina Cougars at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon. The win improves Saskatchewan's record to 5-2-1 while completing a season sweep of their provincial rivals.
Similarly to Friday night's win in Regina, the Huskies wasted little time taking control. Just 7:13 into the match,
Isabelle Lachance opened the scoring when she met a cross from
Cheyenne Lehmann and directed a header through the hands of the diving Regina goalkeeper.
Saskatchewan doubled its lead less than five minutes later. Following strong pressure down the left flank from
Isabelle Lachance, her shot was stopped, but
Danielle Lehmann was first to the rebound and buried her third goal of the season to make it 2-0.
The Huskie attack continued to overwhelm the Cougars throughout the opening half. In the 20th minute,
Nammi Nguyen finished a well-worked move, one-touching a pass from
Hazel Turnbull under the crossbar for Saskatchewan's third goal. Lachance struck again at 26:31, with her dangerous service from the wing ultimately finding its way into the net, extending the lead to four.
Before halftime, Nguyen added her second of the afternoon. A corner kick from the midfielder created chaos in the box, with the ball taking a bounce and finding its way in for a commanding 5-0 Saskatchewan advantage. The Huskies outshot Regina 9-1 in the opening 45 minutes and firmly controlled the match.
Regina found a consolation goal midway through the second half when Dannah Garcia scored off a corner sequence in the 66th minute, but the Huskies quickly reasserted themselves.
The final minutes produced two memorable moments for Saskatchewan. First, first-year midfielder Jana van Niekirk stepped up over a free kick just outside the penalty area and curled home her first career Canada West goal in the 85th minute. Then, in the closing seconds,
Eva Ricken drove into the box before laying the ball back to
Cassidy Vieira, who finished confidently for her second goal of the season and Saskatchewan's seventh of the day. The Huskie total matched the most ever in a single game against their provincial rivals, tying a 7-0 win in 2001.
Isabelle Lachance led the Huskies offensively with two goals and an assist, while Nguyen also scored twice.
Danielle Lehmann contributed a goal and two assists as Saskatchewan generated 16 shots, including 11 on target, compared to just five shots from Regina. Goalkeeper
Julie Snider made three saves to earn the win.
Saskatchewan will head on the road next for a pair of games in Calgary against the U of C Dinos and MRU Cougars. The team will be looking for some form a revenge after dropping home matches to both teams last week.
