Box Score VICTORIA – The seniors on the University of Victoria Vikes women's soccer team made sure that they ended their Canada West regular season careers on their own terms.

Facing a team gunning for the top spot in the Pacific Division, the Vikes handed the University of Calgary Dinos their first defeat of the season.

Led by their four graduates, the Vikes downed the Dinos 2-1 on Saturday night at Centennial Stadium.

"You couldn't have drawn that up any better," said one of graduating players, Rachel Baird. "Well, maybe if we could have gotten Nat one, too."

The Vikes coughed up an early lead when Maiya Lee centred the ball for the freshman Rachel Barlow. The Calgary product picked her spot in the third minute and beat Puck Louwes in the top right corner for her second of the season.

Still pressing in the 10^th minute, Alison Pedersen looked for an early dagger when she drilled a shot from the middle of the field, roughly 25 yards out. Her attempt struck the right goal post.

The Dinos had a fabulous scoring chance not too long afterward, but was called offside.
 
"This team has always had a win like this inside of them. We have been down early at points in the year, battled, had many comebacks and dealt with a lot of injuries. We had a really good team effort from everyone involved and everyone thought we could pull this out tonight," said Vikes Head Coach Tracy David.

Rachel Baird was one of four Vikes playing their final game before graduating and she had a glorious opportunity to knot the game in the 32^nd minute. The defender took a free kick to the left of the goal, cranked it over the wall but Dinos keeper Lauren Houghton tipped it out of play with her fingertips.

The save resulted in a corner, which was taken by Teetzen. The Quesnel, B.C. native curled it in and found the head of Baird, who bounced it in past Houghton for her third of the season.

"Tracy lets me take free kicks and I like to get involved during the corners, so I was lucky enough to have two chances at it back-to-back," said Baird. "The kick was perfect. Corners that are driven to the back post usually work out the best for me."

Looking to join in on the senior scoring spree was fellow fifth year Kiara Kilbey. She took a header four minutes into the second half on a cross from Brea Christie, but it trickled just wide.

She got rewarded minutes later after getting taken down in the box with a penalty kick. Houghton dove to the left as Kilbey lofted in her fifth of the season to the wide open right half of the net.

The Dinos had three consecutive corners in the 75^th minute. Sydney Gummerson sent a bouncing ball inches over the crossbar on the third corner from Amy Mikuska, but Vikes fifth-year keeper Puck Louwes remained in control and shut down each attempt as part of her four-save performance.

Natalie Cavallin was the only graduating player that didn't factor in a goal or make a save, but she was all over the offensive zone, heading the balls to her teammates or flicking passes into open space.

"I'm really proud of the graduating players for everything, not just for tonight. But they all played outstanding tonight and had great performances and that's what we are going to need when the playoffs come around," said David.

After the final whistle, players, coaches and alumni celebrated and posed for pictures on the field with this year's graduating class.

Now, the team shifts their attention to the play-in game next weekend.

The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (8-2-4) defeated the 3-7-4 University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves 3-1 tonight in Vancouver. With the T-birds win, they clinched the third spot in the Pacific Division. For the second-straight year, the Vikes (8-3-3) will finish as the No. 4 seed in the division. The Vikes will have to wait until the end of the weekend to determine their opponent in the crossover play-in game,

The Dinos (10-1-3) loss meant that they will finish as the No. 2 seed in the division and enjoy a bye into the quarterfinals. The location of the first round is still to be determined. Catch all the playoff action on www.canadawest.tv, presented by CO-OP.