A new school year means a new sports team here at The Gauntlet and a new take on our recaps for the Dinos teams' season. Rather than a week-by-week catch-up, the Dinos platter will serve up the best of the month, featuring incredible wins and accomplishments by the various teams at the university. With that being said, let’s jump into it.
Women's soccer
After a strong season that ended in a bronze-coded heartbreak, the Dinos returned to the field this September following a gruelling pre-season. Slotted fourth in the U Sports conference in their pre-season, the team made its way to third by the time the month wrapped up. A commanding opening weekend featured 2-1 and 5-0 wins against the Manitoba Bisons, finding the team back in the winner's seat and remaining undefeated throughout the month. By the time September wrapped up, fifth-year midfielder Sofia DiGiacomo and fifth-year forward Ella Djuranic led the team in goals.
With two games under their belt for October, their seven-win streak remains intact, mirroring last year's strength, hopefully with a more golden outcome. An in-depth debrief of the women’s season so far can be read here.
Rugby 15s
While the women’s rugby 15s roster is made up of talented athletes, the team had not seen a win since its 2022 season. Thanks to third-year wing Amber Quo, the team surged ahead in the final minute of the Sept. 26 game, scoring a try and passing the Alberta Pandas to claim the win. This accomplishment secured Quo the Canada West Athlete of the Week award for the week of Sept. 29. Since that win, the team has not found another.
Women’s hockey
Hockey season began at the start of October, but September put the Dinos in a strong pre-season matchup, claiming three wins. Although there were key departures from the roster before the new season began, the team still holds some of its strongest players, such as fifth-year goaltender Amelia Awad, fourth-year forward Evelyn Lawrence and fifth-year forward Sydney Mercier. The team played eight pre-season games, winning three of them. Now that the season is underway, the hope is that they will tighten their skates and find their path to the championships. An in-depth look at the women’s pre-season games can be found here.
Cross country
For its first event of the season, the Dinos cross-country team brought the heat. Six of the top 12 runners in a 27-runner field came from the women’s racers, with second-year Jenna Conrad coming in first and breaking the tape for the eight-kilometre run at 32 minutes and 38 seconds. The men’s race was less successful but still a strong attempt, placing four of the top 10 runners, with fourth-year Ethan Meyer coming in sixth with a time of 28 minutes and 27 seconds.
Fastball
Facing off against the Lethbridge Pronghorns, the SAIT Trojans and the Mount Royal Cougars in their back-to-back, five-game weekend, the Dinos swept the field, claiming a win each time. Starting on Sept. 27, the team conjured a victory over the Pronghorns with a clean 9-6 final. The team kept momentum during its second game against the Pronghorns, winning 9-5 thanks to runs batted in (RBIs) by fourth-year Chloe Kinghorn and fifth-year Mia Pielak. A close call came during the match against the Trojans, but the Dinos were able to claim a 5-3 victory thanks to an early lead built by Pielak.
Sept. 28 started with a domineering 9-1 win over the Cougars, followed by a 12-5 sweep against the Cougars with Pielak leading the win with six hits and five runs over four innings. The dominant weekend secured the team its spot in the October playoffs.
Men’s soccer
The Calgary Dinos men’s team found 2-0 success in its season opener against the Mount Royal Cougars, where fifth-year defender Jacob Hunter opened the scoring at the 33-minute mark while first-year forward Luis Rangel-Kataev scored his first goal for the Dinos just over an hour in. The team stumbled in its next match against the Alberta Golden Bears in a disappointing 3-0 loss. The pattern of alternating wins and losses continued through the next three games as the team claimed a 4-3 win against the MacEwan Griffins, followed by a 2-0 loss against the Lethbridge Pronghorns and another 2-1 win over the Griffins.
In what appeared to be a lucky run fueled by the team's dedication, they went on to win the last four games of September with a 3-0 win facing the Saskatchewan Huskies, a 2-0 win against the Golden Bears, a domineering 5-1 win over the University of British Columbia Okanagan Heat and a final 2-0 win against the Trinity Western Spartans.
Football
Despite a promising home opener that saw a commanding 32-7 win against the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds — a feat that marked the first Kickoff win in four years — the Dinos fell into a three-game losing streak. While they held their own against the Saskatchewan Huskies on Sept. 12, two fatal errors cost them the game and resulted in a 44-24 loss. They returned to the field ready for redemption, facing the Manitoba Bisons, only to lose by a mere two points in a final of 38-36. With a strong defence and key players, fourth-year quarterback David Jordan and fifth-year receiver Matt Sibley running the field, the Dinos kept it close in their last match of the month against the University of Alberta Golden Bears. In a heartbreaking 42-35 loss, the Dinos continued to make costly mistakes that led to a disappointing ending to their month, leaving them fifth in the Canada West rankings at the time of this article.
September offered a heart-stopping rush of near misses, painful losses and exhilarating victories. As the season progresses, the Dinos remain determined to push for titles. To catch an upcoming home game, check out the team’s schedule.
