The Junior Field Hockey team travelled to Shawnigan Lake School this past weekend for the annual ISA Tournament. The Cavs are always a gold-medal contender at this event, but this year a new challenge was put before them as a dearth of pure junior teams meant that the tournament would consist of junior teams and Senior B squads.
So while Collingwood was sending their junior team, they inevitably would have to face some teams with older players on the roster. However, the mighty Cavs were not be deterred and powered their way through two penalty shoot-outs on their way to the gold. Here is Coach Pezim's report:
Following a great league win over Argyle, the Gold Junior Field Hockey team traveled to Shawnigan Lake School for the ISA Championships, and what an exciting weekend it was!
Day 1 saw lots of action in the drizzly conditions as the girls played three games to open pool play. They dominated the day, handily beating SMUS 3-0 to open the tournament, downing Brentwood College School 2-0, and finally securing a spot in the top of their pool with a 5-0 win over Shawnigan Lake School. Collingwood’s forwards and midfielders dominated the game on day 1, with Addison W. scoring twice, Isabel knocking in three, and Hana leading the way with an impressive 5 goals that including a hat trick. Player of the Game awards went to grade 8 player Sophie for her impressive midfield performance, Isabel for her dominance against Brentwood, and Hana for her relentless shooting and scoring in the circle.
While Day 1 was an offensive showcase, Day 2 brought significantly more challenging opponents and defensive play. Collingwood’s first place in Pool B secured them a semi-final berth against a feisty Crofton House team. This nail-biter of a game saw two of Hana's laser beam goals, one off a beautiful pass from Tahlia. However, the teams were tied 2-2 after regulation time, which meant a nerve-wracking shootout in front of a massive crowd. Remaining calm under pressure, Hana and Isabel scored, with Riley's shot landing in the goal half a second after the whistle to keep it all even after three. It came down to round 4 where keeper, Naeve had an incredible dive to save the ball, so Dylan had a chance to secure the win and she nailed it. A jubilant roar from the team launched the girls into the gold medal game.
Pumped to get to work in the finals, Collingwood was up against a strong York House squad. The even match provided a lot of back and forth that was physically exhausting for the girls who were running hard and leaving it all on the field. Partway through the first half, Collingwood took the lead off a perfectly placed connection from Cici to Hana. The buzz was quickly muted by a goal from York House off a short corner two minutes later. Second-half play saw some narrowly missed scoring opportunities from both teams. As the minutes and second wound down, it became clear to Coaches Pezim and Power that we were headed for the second shootout of the day - hearts were racing!
With the success of the first shootout fresh in mind, Hana, Isabel, Riley, Dylan and Kate were lined up again to attack for Collingwood. Like last time, Hana and Isabel connected quickly and secured two goals, while York House also scored two - we were tied again. Riley narrowed missed again, but so did York House. In the fourth round, York House missed, letting Dylan, cool as a cucumber, chip it in past an aggressive York House goalie to put Collingwood ahead. It all came down to the 5th York House shooter vs Naeve. Showing once again why she is a star keeper, she decisively kicked the York House ball out of the circle, securing the gold medal for Collingwood!
Coaches Allan, Kovesi, Pezim and Power are so proud of this fantastic junior team!
2022 ISA Champions
The shoot-out crew of Dylan, Hana, Izzy, Kate, Riley and Naeve huddle up before their thrilling 3-2 shootout win over York House.
Izzy and Hana with the ISA trophy.