The UNBC Timberwolves women's soccer team, under the guidance of new head coach Neil Sedgwick, completed a winless season on Sunday in Calgary.
In their final game of the Canada West season, the Timberwolves fell 3-0 to the Mount Royal University Cougars. The previous day, in Edmonton, UNBC played a solid defensive game but lost 1-0 to the MacEwan University Griffins.
The Timberwolves finished the season with a 0-12-1 record. In mustering just a single point, they had their worst statistical season in five years of competition at the Canada West level. In those five years, they have an overall mark of 3-49-11.
UNBC also went winless in 2012, its inaugural Canada West season, but managed three ties in a 12-game schedule.
This year, the Timberwolves had an Oct. 14 game against Thompson Rivers University canceled because of a snowfall in Prince George. TRU finished just ahead of last-place UNBC in the eight-team Pacific Division with a 1-12 record.
In Sunday's match, the Cougars kept the T-wolves from getting a shot on net. Meanwhile, the hosts got two goals from Amanda Schafer and a single off the foot of Danielle Lugotoff, who scored what proved to be the winner in the 39th minute. With the victory, the Cougars - who also joined Canada West in 2012 - clinched a playoff spot for the second year in a row. Their 4-6-4 record gave them fifth place in the Prairie Division and a quarterfinal playoff date with the second-place Griffins (8-3-3).
On Saturday in Edmonton, MacEwan's Suekiana Choucair scored the game's lone goal in the 34th minute when she took a pass from teammate Jamie Vriens and drilled the ball into the top right side of the net, past a helpless Lianna Toopitsin.
UNBC didn't generate many chances but nearly knotted the score in the 84th minute when fourth-year midfielder Tianna Pius ripped a shot on goal from 25 yards out and then watched as Griffins goalkeeper Emily Burns tipped the ball off the crossbar. A rebound came out to UNBC's Jessica Erickson but she fired high on her attempt.
Defensively, the Timberwolves did a good job of marking the MacEwan shooters and turned a number of scoring opportunities into easy rollers for Toopitsin, who made 10 saves.
The one-goal loss was a much better result than the Timberwolves managed during an
Aug. 26 exhibition game against the Griffins, who won 3-0 that day.
"These are our measures," said Sedgwick, a former professional player and a high-level coach who was hired in February to replace former sideline boss Andy Cameron, who was at the helm of the UNBC women's soccer program for its first four years in Canada West. "It's my first season through and certainly their growth throughout a season is important. We use these games where you play at the beginning and at the end and see where we've come - all the pieces that we've implemented - to see if they're working."
Graduating UNBC midfielder Jo Ribeiro was appearing in her final games for the Timberwolves.
