Tracy Watson
Daily News Sports Reporter
September 11 2006

Shannon Kelly earned the shutout as the TRU WolfPack women's soccer team scored a season-opening 2-0 victory over the Kwantlen Eagles at Hillside Stadium on Saturday.

Veteran Kim Hogg scored on a cross from Katie Clark to give TRU a 1-0 halftime lead, and rookie Val Goddard added an insurance marker in the second half after a great individual effort that resulted in a deflection past Eagles goalkeeper Ana Pruim.

WolfPack head coach Eric Schweizer said that, with a season as short as is the BCCAA's, it's crucial to get off to a good start.

"We have 12 games and the teams you think you should beat, you better beat, because otherwise you won't get in the playoffs. And this is one that we think we should beat," Schweizer said.

The first 15 minutes were a little "helter skelter," Schweizer said, as nerves caught up with the TRU women. The slippery conditions caused by a downpour didn't help matters - Kelly had a few balls nearly squirt through, but she managed to corral them.

"But after that we settled in. We played well on defence and we played well through the middle," Schweizer said. "We created chances but we didn't put them away - 2-0 actually flatters Kwantlen, because we had chances to put the game away in the first half and we didn't."

The TRU teams got a rest on Sunday because Kwantlen's usual travelling partner, the Fraser Valley Cascades, have entered CIS play.

But the WolfPack will be back at it this weekend, when the Capilano Blues pay a visit Saturday (1 and 3 p.m.) and the Malaspina Mariners are here Sunday (noon and 2 p.m.). All games are at Hillside Stadium.

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