EDMONTON - Fourth-year Makenna Van der Veen scored a late 73rd minute goal, and added an assist, to lift the Alberta Pandas to a 2-1 victory against the Regina Cougars Sunday afternoon at Foote Field.

It was a terrific and dramatic second half win for the Pandas, as Van Der Veen scored in the 73rd minute, and they had to defend against a late Cougars charge with only 10 players after an 83rd minute straight red card.

It caps off a weekend sweep for the Pandas, now 3-1-2, and adds a firm grasp to the fourth and final playoff position in the Prairie Division. Meanwhile, the Cougars drop to 1-4-1 and sit in sixth place in the division.

The first half was dominated by the Pandas, with most of the frame being played in the Cougars end. The first real chance of the game came in the 25th minute, when a Makenna Van der Veen strike from just inside the box hit the crossbar and deflected wide. Then, after a couple of Alberta shots missed wide, Brooklyn St Amand hit a wonderful strike from outside the box that found the top corner of the net for her first goal of the season, one that put the Pandas up 1-0 in the 41st minute. That would be the only scoring effort of the half, but the Pandas were impressive throughout, outshooting the visitors 9-3 (3-1 on target), and outcornering them 6-1.

The second half was a lot closer, as Regina made some very impactful substitutions that paid immediate dividends. Hannah Wol-Harden, who came on at the half, was on the receiving end of a phenomenal Haylee Evans freekick in the 54th minute, and she made no mistake heading it past Autumn Wynn to knot the game at one. The visitors moved play to pressure the home Pandas, improving immensely over their first half effort, more than doubling their shots at the break. However, after catching the Cougars playing a bit too wide, Tara Simoneau dribbled right up the middle of the field and laid a beautiful pass to Makenna Van Der Veen, who after making a run was able to sneak the ball past a pressuring Peyton Magnuson for her second of the year, a strike that put the Pandas up 2-1. They would weather some late pressure from the Cougars, especially after an 80th minute red card, but were able to hold on for the victory.

The Pandas return to Foote Field next weekend for a two game set against the Calgary Dinos and the Mount Royal Cougars, while Regina heads to Lethbridge to play the Pronghorns on both Saturday and Sunday.