CALGARY - The UVic women's field hockey team commenced their Canada West campaign in Calgary and were unlucky not to come away with a point as the Dinos fought hard to win 2-0.

Despite the scoreline, the Vikes, sporting their new powder blue uniforms, dominated the first 20 minutes of play. Numerous chances were denied by Calgary senior goalkeeper Stephanie Petrowitsch. Against the momentum, the Dinos converted their first penalty corner of the match when Michelle Roydhouse deflected the ball past UVic's #Leah Farnan#.

A golden opportunity was missed when Vikes' #Kayleen VanderRee# made a strong baseline run, slotting the ball across the net and a diving #Courtney Low# was unable to capitalize. The Uvic squad generated a lot of offence up the right side thanks to some pretty passing plays between #Courtney Ellis# and #Chelsea Morton#. It would be defender #Sam Purcell#, however, who stood out amongst the rest. Purcell was dominant in the back field cleaning up and taking great patience to make her tackles. Purcell was also crucial in sparking the Vikes' offence sending numerous long balls up the field.

Third-year forward Keara Chicquen brought the scoreline to 2-0 for the Dinos with less than 12 minutes in the game.

Co-captain and veteran forward #Whitney Siegmann# said, "We had some unlucky bounces out there but we are keeping our heads up for tomorrow's game. We had lots of chances to score but now we know what to improve on for tomorrow."

The day was a unique one as both B.C. field hockey powerhouses, UVic and UBC, were downed by their Alberta counterparts. This is a testament to the high level of competition expected in the 2011 season as the teams battle for the top two spots that will take them to nationals.

The Vikes will round up their double header against Calgary on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 12pm PST and will return to Victoria for their home opener on Sept. 24 and Sept. 25 against the Alberta Pandas.

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