EDMONTON — The Lethbridge Pronghorns battled through a pair of hard-fought Canada West matches against the MacEwan Griffins over the weekend at Clarke Stadium, falling 2-1 on Saturday before dropping a 1-0 decision Sunday.
The Pronghorns showed resilience throughout the weekend, particularly on Sunday, where they kept the Griffins off the scoresheet for more than an hour and limited MacEwan's chances in a defensive battle. The Horns now sits at 2-7-1 on the season with four regular-season matches remaining.
Saturday's contest saw the Pronghorns fight back after MacEwan opened the scoring just 2:45 into the match. Lillie Pearson broke in alone and finished past Lethbridge goalkeeper Kate Prince to give the Griffins an early lead.
The Pronghorns answered in the 40th minute on a set piece. Kate Kungel delivered a dangerous corner into the box, where Hila Tata's header took a deflection and struck the crossbar before Tata followed up on the rebound to level the match at 1-1.
Prince kept Lethbridge in the match throughout the afternoon, making 12 saves as MacEwan generated 29 shots, including 14 on target.
The Griffins eventually regained the lead in the 57th minute. Pearson's shot was stopped by Prince, but the rebound fell to Ivy Kunn, who chipped the ball under the bar to make it 2-1.
Lethbridge continued to battle but could not find a second equalizer, despite Prince making several more key saves to keep the Pronghorns within striking distance.
The teams returned to Clarke Stadium Sunday for another tightly contested match.
After a scoreless opening half, MacEwan broke through in the 64th minute when Pearson ran onto a through ball from Ally Tannas and finished into the corner to give the Griffins a 1-0 lead.
The Pronghorns continued to defend resolutely and remained within one goal throughout the final 26 minutes. Lethbridge goalkeeper [KC/keeper name if applicable] and the Pronghorns' back line helped keep the match within reach, while the Griffins finished with a 20-8 edge in shots.
Lethbridge's best opportunity came in the 53rd minute when Brynn Birnie broke through on goal, but MacEwan goalkeeper KC Ledgerwood came off her line to make a sliding challenge and deny the chance.
Despite pushing for an equalizer late, the Pronghorns were unable to find the breakthrough as MacEwan secured the weekend sweep.
The two losses move Lethbridge to 2-7-1 on the Canada West season. With four matches remaining, the Pronghorns will look to close out the regular season on a strong note.
