BURNABY, BC - Talk about a good first impression.
 
True freshman Emma Pringle was remarkable in her collegiate debut, notching both of the SFU Clan women's soccer team's goals en route to a 2-0 win over the Academy of Art Urban Knights.

"Emma –what can you say after a performance like that?" mused SFU head coach Annie Hamel. "She was incredible, driving play all over the field. When you have a freshman who can come in and give a performance like that, especially in her debut, you get excited. She has a very bright future."



SFU showed their class from the opening kick, dictating the pace and flow of play right from the opening whistle. Though the Clan were impressive as a whole, peppering the Art U goal with chances, it seemed that the first half was strictly a battle between Pringle and Urban Knight netminder Morgan Wirz.

Of the 15 shots the Clan mustered in the opening stanza, the rookie out of Windsor Secondary picked up eight, just narrowly missing opening her collegiate account on several occasions.

Despite the overall dominance in terms of play, Hamel noted that her squad's fervent first half showing lacked the most important thing – finish.

"The reality is that moving forward, as we progress, we aren't going to continue getting second, third, and fourth chances" remarked the Clan head coach. "We have to learn to make the chances count when they do come."

Pringle and the Clan didn't wait long into the second frame to capitalize – just five minutes. After SFU midfielder Allyson Dickson found her with a quick pass about 23 yards out, Pringle delievered a wonderful curling strike that snaked its way past Wirz's outstretched hands.

Just seven minutes later, Pringle was the beneficiary of some terrific ball movement. After a short corner from Jenna Baxter, Christina Dickson dropped a lob into a crowded Art U box, where Pringle did well to locate it and re-direct it into the waiting Urban Knights goal.

One of the more prominent subplots in the contest was the dominance of the Clan backline, as the Urban Knights were held to just two shots on the evening, neither of which threatened goalkeeper Priya Sandhu.       

"I thought the backline was outstanding," said Hamel. "Emma [Lobo], Allyson [Dickson], Teagan [Sorokan], and Carli [Grosso] were great at slowing down their attack and keeping them to the outside. They were also great in transition, helping the attack move forward."

With their first 'W' out of the way, the Clan now turn their focus to their upcoming trip to California. They are set to face Cal State Los Angeles on September 8 followed by Cal State Dominguez Hills and Concordia Irvine on the 10th and 13th, respectively.

"All we can do is try to keep this going, remember what we did well today, and use it going forward," said Hamel.