EDMONTON - Despite trailing for the majority of the opening period, the Alberta Pandas (1-0) kicked into a higher gear after the halftime break, as they outscored the Calgary Dinos (0-2) 17-7 in the second half en route to a 29-21 win in their first match of the 2026 Canada West Rugby 15s season.

The Pandas showed great offensive balance with five tries from five different scorers. Kate Alcock landed both a try as well as two successful converts to lead the team in terms of total points on the board.

While the hosts controlled more of the ball in the opening minutes, it was the Dinos who struck first thanks to some great pick and go play in the middle of the pitch. Kenzie McEachern dealt the final blow to open the scoring in the eighth minute, with Allysen Stachiw providing the first of her three successful converts on the night.

Despite the early setback the Pandas weren't phased, as they struck just a few minutes later. Taking advantage of an ill-timed Dinos infraction deep in their own half, the Pandas were able to work the ball out to the wing to Shaely Moodie who dove into the try zone for the score.

A missed convert kept the score at 7-5 for Calgary, and the Dinos soon extended their lead almost out of nowhere thanks to a lightning strike run down the wing by Kayla MacLean. That helped put the Dinos up by nine, with the visitors hungry to try and grab a win at Foote Field for the first time since 2022.

That would not be the case in the end, however, as the green and gold used some great forward play of their own to get another try on the board through Chloe Hedges with 10 minutes to go before halftime, a play that sparked a run of 24 unanswered points on either side of the break.

It was Keira Skrenek, Kaitlin Tetteh-Wayoe and Alcock who all put the ball down in the try zone within a 20-minute stretch in the second half to give the home team some breathing room. Tetteh-Wayoe showcased her power by taking a trio of defenders with her into the try zone near the sideline, while Skrenek and Alcock demonstrated their quick feet in the middle of the pitch with a pair of sweet juke moves to find enough space to score.

The Dinos got a try back through Gracie Freund in the late stages in a bid for a comeback, but were unable to get enough offensive mojo going to put any more points on the board.

Following their opening night success the Pandas will now go on the road for their next two matches, travelling first to Lethbridge next Saturday before a rematch against the Dinos in Calgary on September 26.

Scoring Summary

	1	2	F
ALB	12	17	29
CGY	14	7	21

First Half
8' CGY - #8 Kenzie McEachern Try (#10 Allysen Stachiw Convert) - 7-0 CGY
'14 ALB - #14 Shaely Moodie Try (Convert Missed) - 7-5 CGY
'26 CGY - #11 Kayla Maclean Try (#10 Allysen Stachiw Convert) - 14-5 CGY
'30 ALB - #9 Chloe Hedges Try (#15 Kate Alcock Convert) - 14-12 CGY

Second Half
'53 ALB - #10 Keira Skrenek Try (Convert Missed) - 17-14 ALB
' 63 ALB - #21 Kaitlin Tetteh-Wayoe Try (Convert Missed) - 22-14 ALB
'73 ALB - #15 Kate Alcock Try (#15 Kate Alcock Convert) - 29-14 ALB
'78 CGY - #21 Gracie Freund Try (#10 Allysen Stachiw Convert) - 29-21 ALB