WATERLOO, Ont. – A season to remember turned into one to never forget for the UBC Thunderbirds, who for the first time since 2017 can call themselves national champions.
With their first U SPORTS banner won under head coach Geoff Matthews, the T-Birds made history by becoming the first Canadian women's field hockey team to reach 20 national titles. They did so with a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Varsity Blues, ending the season undefeated with a 9-0-3 record.
"Incredible," said Matthews, when asked to describe the feeling of seeing his team crowned champions. "The girls have been unbelievable all year. To go unbeaten in 12 matches against the best teams in Canada West and U SPORTS, it was tough but we've been incredible, coming from behind on a number of occasions and showing a lot of resilience and courage. It's amazing."
After finishing pool play at nationals 2-0-1, it was fitting for the Thunderbirds' opponents in the final game to be the Varsity Blues, the only team that UBC didn't beat in their initial meeting. After a 1-1, defensive-minded affair that kicked off the week on Thursday, both sides entered Sunday's final ready for a battle.
The first chance came just 15 seconds into the game, when Toronto won a penalty corner. However, the shot attempt was blocked by Hazel Taylor, and what followed was a period of sustained UBC possession. The game was played almost exclusively in the Varsity Blues' half over the next 10 or so minutes, culminating with the T-Birds earning a penalty corner of their own.
Taking advantage of their set piece opportunity, the ball was played to Kenzie Girgis who ripped a shot through traffic and through the legs of Toronto goalkeeper Mary Yang to open the scoring, an inverse of the first game between the two sides when it was the Ontario outfit who scored the first goal.
Toronto had more control over the play in the second quarter than they did in the first, but the UBC defence remained rock solid and kept the score at 1-0 heading into halftime.
The OUA side continued to try and apply pressure coming out of the break, with Pascale Pottier coming up with a clutch save in the UBC net off another Toronto penalty corner early in the third, sprawling to stop a shot from Alicia Lung.
Clearcut chances from open play remained few and far between, with both teams doing a great job of limiting opportunities.
"We built the whole season on defence," remarked Matthews. "I think the difference today, compared to the other U SPORTS games, is that we were really clinical on our first couple of chances. Kenzie scored an amazing corner, that took away the momentum for Toronto. It was always going to be a close battle, we were expecting that…and I thought Pascale in goal was unbelievable today. She made some really important saves in important moments, and as a whole the team defended well."
As the game went on the Varsity Blues increased their aggression defensively, pushing more numbers further up the field to try and pressure the T-Birds in possession and win the ball in dangerous areas. That proved to be the root of their undoing on UBC's second goal, which came with just under 10 minutes to play.
A Thunderbird counter-attack sprang to life almost out of nowhere, with a couple of pinpoint, direct passes giving Mackenna Brown the chance to barrel towards goal in plenty of space. She split the remaining Toronto defenders with a perfect pass to Puneet Litt that put the forward in behind with just the keeper to beat, and Litt deftly laid the ball off to the onrushing Amy Stelling who tapped it into the net – three first-year talents combining for a highlight reel moment on the biggest stage.
Doubling the lead turned out to have been essential, as the Varsity Blues managed to break the shutout with just 30 seconds left on the clock. The goal came from another penalty corner, with Maggie Mullins booming a shot through traffic. But that was the last time that Toronto would touch the ball, as the Thunderbirds were able to wind down the remaining seconds following the restart, before beginning their celebrations.
Girgis was named UBC's Player of the Game in her final time wearing the Thunderbirds jersey. She also was selected as a member of the All-Tournament Team, alongside Litt and Shannon Stelling.
