Abby Raye was 2009 CW rookie of the year
Rich Lam/UBC Thunderbirds
Abigail Raye was named the 2009 Canada West Rookie of the Year.

Women's Field Hockey

T-Birds Close Season with 1-0 Win, Raye Named CW Rookie of the Year

League leading scorer Elise Milosevich potted her eleventh of the season to give her UBC Thunderbirds a 1-0 win over the VictoriaVikes women's field hockey team in the regular season finale.

With the weekend sweep, UBC also beat Victoria 4-2 on Saturday, the T-Birds finished atop the Canada West standings at 10-2-0 to win their seventh straight conference banner.

The Vikes got off to a quick offensive start with shots off the posts but were unable to capitalize on chances in front of T-Bird rookie keeper Dina Bulfone.

Bulfone stood tall in net for the T-Birds stopping all shots she faced. Her counterpart, Vikes keeper Kaitlyn Williams, made some key saves but was unable to turn away Milosevich's eventual game winner in the 43rd minute.

After the game, the Canada West announced the conference All-Stars and Award winners with four T-Birds being recognized for their outstanding play.

Headlining this group was freshman standout Abigail Raye who named the Canada West Rookie of the Year and an all-star.

Raye, a member of Team Canada, has earned 13 caps for the national side since joining the squad in 2008 after getting her Canadian citizenship. Born in Epsom, Surrey, England, Raye moved to Canada almost four years ago and was named Kelowna Secondary's Female Athlete of the Year before coming to UBC.

Raye had two goals in her first CIS season and played almost every position on the pitch this season for UBC, showcasing her versatility and talent.

"She was actually one of three people that I considered for the rookie award from our squad this year alongside Poonam Sandhu and Miranda Mann, both of whom had absolutely outstanding campaigns. I put Abby at the top of list because when she has the ball, she just seems to get positive results," said long-time UBC head coach Hash Kanjee. "She has great speed and smarts on the field and she is playing in a position that adds an additional thrust to our offence. With her speed, she has really been a difference maker for us this season even though she was slowed a bit by injury earlier in the year."

Joining Raye on the All-Star squad were Milosevich and midfield standouts Robyn Pendleton and Kristyn Harrington. UBC led the way on the all-star squad with their four selection with Victoria and Alberta each earning three and Calgary one.

Alberta's Jackie Trautman was named the CW Player of the Year while fellow Panda Jennifer Foster is the conference's nominee for the CIS Gail Wilson Outstanding Contributor Award. Calgary's Jenn Swagar earned Coach of the Year honours.

UBC is off next weekend before heading back to Victoria for the CIS Championship scheduled for November 5-8.
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Players Mentioned

Dina Bulfone

#2 Dina Bulfone

G
5' 7"
1st
Kristyn Harrington

#7 Kristyn Harrington

D
5' 8"
5th
Elise Milosevich

#9 Elise Milosevich

F
5' 5"
3rd
Robyn Pendleton

#10 Robyn Pendleton

M/F
5' 6"
3rd
Miranda Mann

#12 Miranda Mann

D
5' 6"
1st
Abigail Raye

#15 Abigail Raye

D
5' 6"
1st
Poonam Sandhu

#17 Poonam Sandhu

F/M
5' 3"
1st

Players Mentioned

Dina Bulfone

#2 Dina Bulfone

5' 7"
1st
G
Kristyn Harrington

#7 Kristyn Harrington

5' 8"
5th
D
Elise Milosevich

#9 Elise Milosevich

5' 5"
3rd
F
Robyn Pendleton

#10 Robyn Pendleton

5' 6"
3rd
M/F
Miranda Mann

#12 Miranda Mann

5' 6"
1st
D
Abigail Raye

#15 Abigail Raye

5' 6"
1st
D
Poonam Sandhu

#17 Poonam Sandhu

5' 3"
1st
F/M