The senior girls' field hockey team got exactly what they needed at the Bridgman Cup - tough games. It looks like the Cavs will roll over their North Shore AA opponents this year so it's crucial that the squad face top-notch opposition in tournaments in order to prepare for the BC Championships.
Collingwood finished 6th at the Bridgman with a record of three wins and three losses. All their losses were to powerhouse AAA teams. The Cavs qualified for the quarter-finals by beating Mount Doug 1-0 and Charles Best 3-0 on Day 1 of the tournament. Kelsie Stephenson scored against Mount Doug and then added another against Charles Best. Rachel Graham and Hailey Gayda also scored in the 3-0 win.
With a quarter-final berth assured, the Cavs faced Argyle on Saturday morning. The winner would win their pool, while the loser would face the unenviable situation of drawing Cowichan in their quarter-final. The Cavs fell behind 2-0 in the first half against the Pipers. However, they rallied in the second half with goals from Kelsie on 'an unbelievable tomahawk' on a breakaway and Rachel. The comeback was for naught though when Argyle scored in the last four minutes of play to win 3-2.
On Saturday afternoon, the Cavs faced Cowichan who are thought to be one of the best AAA teams in the province. Collingwood would lose 2-0, but had an impressive second half where they dominated play. Coach Underwood was thrilled with the effort by the girls, especially since they lost Kelsie partway through the first half to an injury.
On Sunday morning, the Cavs faced Oak Bay. Collingwood looked to heading for a solid 1-0 victory when the Oak Bay scored with two minutes left in the game. Thus, the game went to a shoot-out. Elsa Hunter came up big and saved the first Oak Bay shot. The Collingwood shooters proved to be red-hot as all five scored.
In their final game, Collingwood faced local rival West Van. Once again the team played tremendous hockey, but unfortunately fell 2-1 to the Highlanders. Coaches Gold and Underwood were nevertheless ecstatic with the team's performance this weekend.
Chloe Szybunka and Meg Mauro win a ball against Seycove earlier this year.