Bears and Pandas Soccer mark a successful home opener weekend - The Gateway

The University of Alberta’s Golden Bears and Pandas began the soccer season at Foote Field, finishing a home-opener weekend with results that improve their standing on the Canada West leaderboard. The Pandas opened Saturday with a 3-0 shutout loss to the Saskatchewan Huskies, struggling with turnovers and blocked shots. Goalkeeper Tessa Borelli made eight saves on 11 attempts, including strong efforts against Jenna Stacey and Nammi Nguyen. Momentum shifted Sunday when Alberta edged the Regina Cougars 1-0. The Pandas controlled possession, outshooting Regina 11-4, with three shots on goal compared with two for the Cougars. The game’s lone goal came in the 27th minute on Erin Hope’s strike after a restart, and Alberta added eight corner kicks. It was the program’s first conference win and also the first for interim coach Bruno Zebie. Next weekend, the teams play in Calgary against the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University, then return Sept. 19 at Foote Field against MacEwan. The Golden Bears closed the weekend with a 3-0 conference win over Calgary on Saturday, finishing with six goals and two victories overall.