Yesterday at the BC Field Hockey Championships, Natalie Dalton proved once again why she's considered one of the best young goalkeepers in Canada. Nat was absolutely outstanding as she led the Cavs into the final and then kept them in it with a series of amazing saves. However, not even Nat can save everything and Crofton took advantage of a defensive breakdown to score late in the game to defeat Collingwood 1-0.
In the morning semi-final, Collingwood defeated SMUS in a thrilling game that went to penalty shots. The Cavs were the better team for most of the game but had to come from behind twice in order to force shots.
Collingwood took a 1-0 lead seven minutes into the game. Rachel Graham pounced on a rebound from a Jaimie Chrystal shot. However a minute later, the game was tied 1-1 as SMUS superstar and full national team member, Anna Mollenhauer, blasted a short corner shot past Nat. This was to become a bad deja vu for the Cavs as all three SMUS goals would come off short corners.
With the Blue Jags leading 2-1, the Cavs mounted a ferocious attack late in the first half. After forcing five short corners in a row, Holly Robertshaw scored to tie the game with no time left on the clock.
You would have thought that Collingwood would have all the momentum going into the second half, but it was SMUS who scored first. Once again the Cavs were chasing the game, but at the 16-minute mark, Tiana Wong pounced on a rebound off a short corner and tied the game once again.
When the game went into penalties, it was clear that it was advantage Collingwood. Nat is so agile and aggressive that opposition shooters can rarely beat her. And that is exactly what happened. Maddie Connell, Holly and Jaimie all scored while the first two SMUS players did not. With the game on the line, not even Anna Mollenhauer could beat Nat and the Cavs were off to the final.
The final was an exciting affair, but Crofton was the better team for most of the game. Collingwood had two great opportunities early in the first half, but rarely penetrated the D and could not force any short corner opportunities. 13 minutes into the game, the Cavs were in full defensive scramble when a penalty stroke was awarded to CHS. The shooter picked the left corner but Nat made a brilliant diving save to keep the game tied.
In the second half, the Cavs pushed hard. Maddie attacked relentlessly but the CHS double teams were even too much for her. The long-ball attack almost paid dividends a couple of times but in the end, the Cavs did not force one short corner in the second half.
With two minutes left in the game, Collingwood gave too much room to a CHS striker. Before they could shut her down, she took the D and hammered a shot by Nat. Nat had no chance on this shot and although she was inconsolable after the game, she will hopefully remember that if not for a series of acrobatic saves earlier in the half, the game would have been two or three goals in Crofton's favour.
Collingwood now says goodbye to a terrific group of Grade 12 athletes. Many of them are leaving with 3 provincial medals in their pockets, which is quite a statement. Congratulations to all of them - Lauren Alderson, Thea Bosa, Charlotte Campbell, Maddie Connell, Nat Dalton, Meg Garland, Sophia Ludwig, Nisha Mainra, Holly Robertshaw and Tiana Wong.
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Just prior to the final, Coach Gold tries to relax the team with a story about her 'poor singing voice'.
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Holly Robertshaw on the attack in the final. Holly has been a goal-scoring machine in her two years at Collingwood.
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The future arrived in a big way yesterday. Rachel Graham and Jaimie Chrystal were both brilliant in the mid-field for the Cavs. In the two most important games of the year, both players were terrific.
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The agony of defeat. Sophia Ludwig consoles Nat Dalton, while Coach Bruner hugs Tiana Wong. All three players were outstanding in their final games for Collingwood and should be immensely proud of their play yesterday.
