VICTORIA (CIS) – The unbeaten no. 2 seed UBC Thunderbirds coasted to a 4-1 win over the no. 4 seed Toronto Varsity Blues in CIS women's field hockey championship action Saturday afternoon at UVic's Field Hockey Turf.
 
Entering the game, UBC had already qualified for the gold medal final - their first title match appearance since the T-Birds won their 11th McCrae Cup in 2006. However, in Saturday's round-robin final the T-Birds played with the same determination and effort that earned them an undefeated 3-0-1 record in preliminary play.
 
UBC scored three goals in the first half, with scores by Samantha Smith (4th), Kira Graham (22nd) and Poonam Sandhu (24th). Senior forward Kim Aldridge added another goal in the second half, rounding out the T-Birds scoring with a goal in the 68th minute of play.
 
Toronto's lone goal came in the 38th minute from captain and North Vancouver native Kristen Shier, who has scored three times during the tournament. The Varsity Blues complete round-robin play with a record of 1-3-0, but are not officially eliminated from bronze medal contention.
 
"We've worked really hard and our team's been playing really well. It's good going in on a good win too," said UBC captain Kristyn Harrington.
 
Harrington, a First Team all-Canadian added that the team is ready for Sunday's final. "We're going to bring it. A lot of us are in our last year so we're going to empty the tanks because we want this more than anything."
 
The T-Birds will face the winner of Game 10, the final game of round robin play between the Guelph Gryphons (1-1-1) and the Alberta Pandas (1-2-0), which takes place Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m.
 
SCORING SUMMARY
UBC: 3-1: 4
Toronto: 0-1: 1

First half
4th, UBC, Samantha Smith
22nd, UBC, Kira Graham
24th, UBC, Poonam Sandhu
 
Second half
38th, Tor, Kristen Shier
68th, UBC, Kim Aldridge

Goaltenders
UBC: Dina Bulfone (W, 70:00, 1 GA, 3-0-1)
Toronto: Samantha Lyzun (L, 70:00, 4 GA, 1-3-0)
 
Players of the game
UBC: Poonam Sandhu (Vancouver, BC)
Toronto: Katelan Watson (Richmond, BC)