Thunder grad Taylor Stewart scores first university goal to spark Dinos to 1-1 draw
By The Nelson Daily Sports
It didn’t take Kootenay Thunder grad Taylor Stewart to make her mark in women’s university soccer.
Stewart scored the Dinos only goal sparking the University of Calgary to a 1-1 draw against city-rival Mount Royal in Canada West Women’s Soccer League action Sunday at West Varsity Soccer Pitch in Calgary.
In their first ever conference match-up between the two Calgary schools, Stewart opened the scoring at the 25th minute taking a pass from teammate Nikki Furukawa.
However, Mount Royal, joining CIS league, tied the game before halftime.
The point was the first of the season for the Dinos.
The University of Calgary opened on the road with losses to UBC (5-1) and Trinity Western (6-1).
Saturday, the Dinos played to a scoreless draw against seventh ranked University of Alberta.
The Dinos remain at home next weekend where they will play the University of Victoria and the University of the Fraser Valley on Sept. 22-23.
Stewart, the 5’5″ midfielder, is joined on the Dinos by Kootenay Thunder teammate Andrea Stinson.
Both players toiled in Nelson Youth Soccer before joining the Thunder the past two seasons.
The Thunder is part of the Soccer Quest regional teams.
Soccer Quest regional teams play in Showcase tournaments in front of college and university scouts during the winter season.
Both Stewart and Stinson, along with fellow teammates Brittany Wheeler and Morag Paterson, were seen and recruited by university coaches at these tournaments.
Wheeler and Paterson are currently playing at the University of Lethbridge.
All four Thunder players also played on the L.V. Rogers Varsity Girl’s squad.
Soccer Quest recently formed a partnership with the Vancouver Whitecaps to offer a similar regional academy.
The program has approximately 90 players in ages ranging from 10 to 18 years of age.
