Box Score Box Score

The University of Regina's women's soccer team opened up the 2010 Canada West schedule with a 2-0 shutout victory over the Fraser Valley Cascades on Saturday afternoon at the U of R Field.

Adrianna Bonutti scored both goals for the Cougars, while Michelle Anderson made five saves – including a few of the spectacular variety – to secure the shutout.

“We played pretty tight defence and Anderson made some great saves back there for us,” Regina head coach Bob Maltman said. “We did a lot of the things we chatted about before the match, and I'm very happy with the fight they showed throughout the match.”

Bonutti's first goal came in the 15th minute of the contest. Jayde McFee ended up with the ball at the side of the net after a Tegan Koroluk corner kick, but her shot was saved. Bonutti collected the rebound amidst a swarm of players and drilled it into the top corner after a wild scramble.

The match went into halftime still 1-0 in favour of Regina, and Fraser Valley started to press for the tying strike about 15 minutes into the second half. Ellen Kuyer had an opportunity in tight in the 59th minute after a rebound, but fired wide. Anderson made what might have been the best save of the match in the 63rd minute, diving to her right to stop a Danika Snook shot at full stretch.

Fraser Valley had a few other chances to score, but instead it was the Cougars that found the back of the net. In the 81st minute, Bonutti chipped a long, high cross towards the box from the right side of the pitch. The ball took a generous bounce off the turf, over the head of Cascades keeper Chantelle Biagioni, and into the back of the net to put Regina up by two.

The Cascades continued to generate chances late in the contest. Kuyer was sent in on a breakaway in the 89th minute, but sailed her shot left of the target. Anderson made two more spectacular saves in injury time, including another brilliant sliding stop on Snook and a diving save to stonewall Lyndsay Munro on a headed effort.

The Cascades will travel to Winnipeg today for a match against Manitoba (0-0-1), while the Cougars and Victoria (0-0-1) will kick off at the U of R Field on Sunday at noon.

NOTES: The Cougars defeated Fraser Valley for the first time since the Cascades joined Canada West in 2006 … Anderson's shutout was the fourth of her career.