Power. Passion. Unity: The First XI Girls’ Field Hockey Team

Brentwood’s First XI Field Hockey team has begun the season, demonstrating an outstanding amount of determination. The first test for the girls was extremely early on in the school year, at the John Ferreira Memorial Cup in September, where the athletes faced off against esteemed competition, and battled tenaciously throughout the weekend. Despite a tough loss to powerhouse Francis Kelsey - who would later go on to win the tournament - coaches were impressed with the skill, athleticism, and work ethic of the girls. This set a solid foundation for the team’s future. Following the tournament, Brentwood faced off against another local rival, Shawnigan Lake, in a league game. The score was close, and Brentwood played with admiral effort and skill, but unfortunately, were not able to leave the field with a win. However, the girls were grateful for the opportunity to improve, and were determined to change their season record. The next game the team would go on to play was against Francis Kelsey, the powerhouse they had suffered a loss to earlier in the season. “Everyone played with enthusiasm and energy, and scoring early on fuelled us throughout the game” said the team’s Captain, Jemma O, Mackenzie ‘19. With both a transformed offense and defence, Brentwood was able to match Francis Kelsey, coming away with a 2-2 tie. This was an impressive achievement for the First XI, and is only a glimpse of the potential the team has to reach as the season continues. Coaches, Mrs. Martin, Ms. Doman, and Mr. Haigh have been extremely proud of the advancement of skill and athleticism, as well as the team’s energy, as the girls have been dedicated to improving. This year’s group consists of many young players and Jemma says that everyone on the team is “eager and willing to learn and improve from themselves, but also for their teammates.” This has been reflected in each of the games and practices, as well as the early morning team workouts, led by Ms Ostopovich. We would like to wish the team luck as they head to ISAs at Crofton House this weekend, which will be followed by the Island Championships, where the girls will hopefully earn a spot to Provincials, taking place over the midterm break! Zjaya D, Allard ‘19