KAMLOOPS – The Thompson Rivers WolfPack women's soccer team will head back to Kamloops with a pair of points after they tied the UBC Okanagan Heat 0-0 Sunday afternoon.
 
The draw was the second in as many days between the two Interior rivals, as the WolfPack move their record to 0-2-2 on the season.
 
TRU carried a vast majority of the play on the day, racking up 12 shots on goal compared to the Heat's 2, but were unable to find the back of the net.
 
"The whole game we were on the front foot, we looked dangerous and were causing them some problems," said WolfPack head coach Mark Pennington. "I think we were just a little bit naïve and lacked a bit of quality in the final third, otherwise that would have been a three-point game for us, so we are a bit disappointed."
 
The WolfPack especially dominated the latter stages of the contest. In the final ten minutes of the game they created a trio of chances that nearly found the back of the net.
 
First, Rylee Mugridge let a long-range shot go that was headed for the top-corner of the net but Heat goalkeeper Molly Race was just able to tip it over the bar. Just minutes later a run into the box by Jessye Large resulted in a Heat defender being forced to pull her down for a WolfPack penalty-kick. Camryn Curts stepped up to take the shot, but her effort soared just over the crossbar. Rounding out the chances was a curling effort from Caylah Lemon. Taking a free-kick from 30 yards out, Lemon unleashed a shot that beat Race but not the post as the ball glanced off the woodwork and bounced harmlessly away.
 
"We are super young and have to keep reminding ourselves of that," said Pennington. "There's some players that have never played at this level before so we'll get a bit more confident, find some more composure and be more clinical moving forward."
 
Defensively the WolfPack were stout throughout the match. A young back-line kept Heat scoring opportunities to a minimum to help goalkeeper Marissa Young pick up the first shutout of her Canada West career.
 
"I thought the entire back-four was great," said Pennington. "For the most part they were really solid and we finished the game with the entire back-four being in their first year of eligibility, so there's a bunch of room for this program to keep growing and move forward."
 
The WolfPack will stay on the road next weekend, as they head to Vancouver Island for a pair of game with the UVic Vikes.