Two-peat for the Cavs
November 9, 2018 6:00 PM
In the crisp cold of an autumn afternoon, throngs of fans were gathered around a turf field to watch the finals of the 2018 Varsity Girls Field Hockey BC Championships. After a close win against Seycove earlier that morning, the Collingwood Cavaliers would be faced with their long-time rivals– the Crofton House Falcons in the gold medal game. Despite being considered a “rebuilding” team, the Collingwood Senior Field Hockey team has proven their capacity for both skills and drive once again at this year’s AA Provincials. The Cavs came away with an incredible 5-0 win over the Falcons and took home the provincial banner for the second year in a row.
The game started off with Collingwood absolutely dominating on the field. The players were aggressive and kept the ball on Crofton’s side for the majority of the first half. When the other team did manage to get possession, defender Jamie Borthwick always stepped up and played a key role in not letting any players get past her. Defenders Kayleigh Garland and Liz McMullin were then there to bring the ball back across the half for another attack. The offense had many great looks and shots; however, they were met with equally great saves from the goalie. This continued on for a while as the coaches and fans watched on anxiously. The time was ticking and we soon entered the last few minutes of the play. Just when everyone thought that the score would be tied 0-0 at half-time, Seli Edstand broke the deadlock with a speedy goal off of Bronwyn Byrd’s great pass.
Going into the second half, the Cavaliers were fired up and reinvigorated with a pep talk, a deafening cheer, and the momentum of their previous goal! Collingwood gets right back into the game as they continue to keep control of the ball. Very early on, Bronwyn Byrd, offensive powerhouse, masterfully takes the ball up from Collingwood’s side, dekes through multiple Crofton defenders and sends a brilliant shot into the opponent’s net, wowing everyone in the audience and sending the fans into a frenzy. The score doesn’t stay 2-0 for long, as co-captain Rachel Graham shoots a hard, purposeful shot straight past the goalie. By now, the crowd is going crazy; even the Collingwood teachers are screaming and cheering! For the next few minutes, Crofton was able to get a few shots on our goalie, Izzy Fry, however, their attacks were no match for Izzy’s lightning-fast reflexes. The Cavs get the ball back and Hailey Gayda flew down the field, drawing the defense towards her and opening up space in the shooting circle. Seli saw the opportunity and received a perfect pass in there to score another goal. Near the end of the second half, Kaiden Stanley, Hailey Gayda, and Olivia Huebener come away with a three on two. Some smart passing and a quick advance led to Kaiden scoring the last goal of the game.
Overall, the game was an exciting one to watch and the energy of the team huddle afterwards was contagious. The team gave a huge thank you to their coaches Ashleigh Gold, Catherine Underwood and Sara Bruner, their dedicated parents and fans, and their departing seniors. The Collingwood Cavaliers took home lots of hardware that night and were sure to be celebrating their spectacular win over the weekend.
The Senior Field Hockey Captains on their season:
“Such a special way to end my senior year” – Rachel Graham
“I’m going to miss my Cavs FH family” – Kayleigh Garland
“Head girl Muneet 👩🏽👏!” – Liz Mcmullin
By Rachel Na