EDMONTON - The UVic women's field hockey team's race for a spot at the 2011 CIS National championships just got a little tougher as the Alberta Pandas downed the Vikes 2-1 in Edmonton on Saturday afternoon.

Victoria's lone goal came early in the second half by rookie forward #Marisa Davidson# (Kelowna, B.C.) beating Pandas keeper Tory Spencer. The Vikes now drop to a 2-5-0 record and remain in fourth place in Canada West standings.

Freshman Nicole Laskosky and third-year Jennifer Cousineau would tally one each for the Pandas, lifting them to second place with a  3-2-2 Canada West record.

The Vikes were without senior keeper #Kaitlyn Williams# (White Rock, B.C.), as she departed the very same morning for the 2011 Pan American Games in Mexico. Rookie #Leah Farnan# (West Vancouver, B.C.) was called upon to keep the scoreline tight.

The UVic side went down only 12 minutes into the first half when Laskosky was able to redirect a ball past Farnan during a goal mouth scramble. Laskosky, a rookie of Camrose, Alta. is now tied as the lead scorer for the Pandas with two goals.

Veteran Cousineau put the Pandas up by two only 10 minutes later, beating Farnan in tight, during another scramble in front of the Vikes' net. The two goals was enough to ensure the Pandas second place in the conference standings after UBC defeated Calgary 3-2 earlier on in the day.

Davidsons goal in the 39th minute would tally for her second of the season; however, it would not be enough for the Vikes to climb the rankings. The Vikes increased the pressure throughout the remainder of the second half and were unable to capitalize.

The Pandas and Vikes will face off a final time tomorrow, Oct. 9, at 12:00 p.m. PDT at Foote Field in Edmonton, Alta. before returning home for back to back hosting duties against UBC and then Calgary.