On September 11, the Varsity Blues women’s field hockey team won their home opener game against the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers. The Blues had a terrific win, with a final score of 6–1. The 60-minute game was a tough battle during the first half, but the Blues quickly took the lead in the second.
The first goal of the season was scored by Ally Evanyshyn, and was recorded minutes into the game. Struggle ensued as the Panthers attacked, and were successful in scoring a point. After quite a few tries, another goal for the Blues was scored in the first half, placing Toronto in the lead.
The second half began with excellent defense from both teams. The Blues kept the Panthers in their goal for most of the second half, with stellar offence. Some key attackers in the match were Tegan Stairs and Megan Johansen. The midfielders responsible for keeping the Panthers on their toes with sharp, precise passes were Emma Wingrave and veteran Amanda Woodcroft.
Woodcroft — who is in her fifth season with the Blues — and a member of Canada’s bronze medal winning Pan Am team, described the match as rough, yet was still impressed with the tenacity of her team and their perseverance to pull through to the end. “It’s always great to win the first game. It was even better since the team got to play together after a while” said Woodcroft, who has been training two times a day for the past two weeks with the rest of the team. “It was great to play today because all we did was run before [the match].”
You can see Woodcroft, and the rest of the Blues field hockey team in action on October 17 when they take on the McGill Martlets.
