UVic wins, UPEI and York draw on a windy, wet day in Charlottetown
Friday’s weather could not have been more different than the crisp sunny Thursday we were treated to yesterday. There was howling wind and sheet rain at the field site at UPEI today as the University Championship played on.
UVic and Dalhousie University kicked things off at Noon, battling the tough conditions all game long. The format of the tournament has teams completing pool play and heading straight into medal matches. After both drawing yesterday in their respective matches, there was added pressure to get in the win column today.
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UVic came out as the stronger of the two sides, applying early pressure and rarely giving up that advantage. Still the Tigers held fast until the end of the first half, when UVic’s Josie Dunham banged in the Vikes’ first goal of the tournament. It was just what they needed for momentum, as they added another in the opening breaths of the second half off the stick of Jaden Dawson. Katie Bentley capped off the scoring tucking in a field goal in the final few minutes of the game after great work by Julia Boraston surging forward.
UVic closed out the game with a 3-0 win to take top spot in the group heading into the weekend. They finish out group-stage with a game against UPEI tomorrow and Dalhousie finishes the round robin against York on Saturday.
The UVic Vikes play most of their Can-West matches on a water-based turf so getting used to the bounces and flow of the rubber-based field turf here at UPEI can be an adjustment. Vikes captain Libby Hogg said the team is fine tuning their game play and adapting to the conditions. Overall, she’s pleased with the progress so far and looking forward to the upcoming matches.
“We’re getting used to the turf and figuring it out. Each game, we’re building and it’s looking good. We are playing to our strengths, playing our game, moving the ball quick and finding the open space,” she said, adding that moving forward, the team is taking it one game at a time and enjoying their last few matches of the season together.
UVic and Dalhousie battle in the rain on Friday, October 31, in Charlottetown. Photos/Yan Huckendubler.
The weather was relentless on Friday in Charlottetown. When the York Lions and UPEI Panthers took to the field at 230pm local time, the sky was grey, the winds were whipping through at over 35 km/h and the rain was showing no sign of letting up. The York and UPEI athletes, along with fans and faithful, braved the weather and put on a thrilling, tightly contested nil-nil showdown in the second round of the University Championship.
The OUA champs, York, controlled the pace of play and pressure throughout the match. Strong runs by Elise Piper, Kathryn Carlow and the in-tight skills of Juliet Redelaar and Gates McAllister put UPEI on the backfoot for much of the game. On the UPEI side, a standout performance by goalkeeper, Bria Matthews, and stout protective defense by the Panthers as a whole, kept the Lions at bay until the bitter end. UPEI standouts included Miah Lawlor, Kayla Batchilder and Katie-Grace Noye. When the Panthers did counter and make an offensive foray, it was those three that drove the pace, connected with passes and put pressure on the York defense.
The performance between the pipes by Matthews cannot go overstated. She regularly came up with strings of multiple saves in a row. She stood tall against several penalty corner efforts and seemed to gain more confidence throughout the game. The home crowd rallied behind the defense as they fended off consecutive penalty corners in the last 20 seconds to secure the draw and the point. Matthews said she was proud of the team for battling and said it was a complete team effort.
“It was a really big effort and we’re happy we came out with a tie. I saw the ball the whole time, I was able to talk to my D so I could see,” Matthews said, adding that she’s hoping and expecting the team to put it all together against UVic tomorrow.
At the end of day two, UVic has jumped to the top of the table and the rest remain tightly packed, chasing down the western powerhouse. Catch all the action from the Field Hockey Canada University Championships on the CBC Sports YouTube Channel.
York and UPEI draw 0-0 in the rain and wind on Friday afternoon. Photos/Yan Huckendubler.
