Field Hockey Friendship

The Brentwood First XI Field Hockey team competed in the Friendship Cup at Duncan’s Chesterfield Sportsplex last weekend. This was a chance for the new team to gain some playing time together. The girls arrived at the pitch in anticipation to see what their competitors were like. There were four teams in the tournament, most of whom our team had encountered before, but we were sure to never underestimate their new capabilities. We came into this tournament with a determined mindset and were sticking to it no matter what came our way. Our first game was against our friendly rivals GNS, whom we defeated in last year’s Island Championships, and we were ready to meet them again. With only 5 returning players returning from last year's squad, the team tried a new system called the ‘Arrow’ method, and end the game with a 0-0 tie.  Without a goal and without a point against them, the team was ready for more action later that day. Their second game was against Cowichan Secondary 2nd XI team; a team they have never faced before. The girls walked in unknowing of what was to come and after a tough and competitive game against a team whose players make up some of the BC Provincial team, Brentwood tied it again with a 0-0 score. Brianne P. played outstanding in goal. The morning of day two had many of the girls feeling sore and tired. The bus arrived at the field around 10:30: enough time for the proper warm-up on a chilly morning. Our third game of the tournament was against the 3rd best team in the province, with a senior national trainee: scary, I know. We were going into this game, reminding ourselves we had to play our game and not theirs. This meant more passing and team cooperation. As the game ran on and our team’s tired bodies played keep away with the national trainee, we came out with a 3-0 loss, but felt as if we had never played so hard in our lives. This game put us into the marking for either a third or fourth finish in the tournament and our final game would be played against GNS, so anything was possible.  The first half was tiring but our side held up against theirs for the first 25 minutes. But the score still remained 0-0. The second half began with a strong attack, a shot on net, and a quick rebound from Haley H: we have our first goal of the tournament. We ended the game 2-0 with a goal from Katharina VF and a third place finish. The tournament was a great learning experience for the team, from first game to first tournament and everything in between. The coaches were extremely pleased with the hard work and effort we showcased, and our lack of movement after the game showed just how hard we worked in the four games we encountered. The Friendship Cup is known to be one of the best tournaments for team growth, just as ours did, setting a strong base for what will become an excellent season.  Olivia B, Alex ‘17