Women’s field hockey stunned in CIS upset
Blues finish fourth in uncharacteristic loss to Guelph
U of T’s women’s field hockey team finished fourth in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championships on November 8, hosted by the University of Victoria in British Columbia, the Blues were knocked out of gold medal contention based on technicalities in their semi-final game against UBC. The Blues took on the CIS defending champions, starting off strong with two goals in the first half by Alison Lee and Emma Stairs. The Blues stayed strong throughout the match and looked as though they could punch their ticket to the championship final, when a rogue goal by UBC’s Sophie Jones in the last seconds of the game tied the match 2-2. Guelph, Toronto, UBC, and UVic all held 1-1-1 records going out of the preliminary round, meaning that when the Blues tied with the Thunderbirds, the final teams were determined by goal differentials and goals scored, not on the results of an individual match. The Blues went on to lose 4-2, against OUA rivals Guelph, in the bronze medal match. The championship marks the last time standouts Amanda Woodcroft and Tegan Stairs will play with the team, as both women are in their fifth year of eligibility.
Cross-country CIS recap
Third year Gabriella Stafford clinches silver medal
On November 14 the Blues’ cross-country team traveled to Guelph to compete at the 2015 Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championships. The Guelph Gryphons, who have dominated the sport for the past several years, hosted the competition comprising of the best cross-country runners from across Canada. The standout performance for the Blues came from last week’s OUA athlete of the week Gabriella Stafford, who placed second in the women’s 6K competition, clocking a time of 20:09:7. A young team this year, the women placed 12 overall at the competition with notable performances by co-captains Maddy Kelly and Honor Walmsley who placed 26 and 82 respectively. On the men’s side, cross country veteran Sasha Smart lead the Blues with a 35 place performance; clocking a time of 31:39:2 in the 10K competition. The men’s team placed 13 overall in the competition, and was aided by performances from rookies Craig Klomp and Simon Egzaw, who placed 49 and 62 respectively. Although the CIS championships mark the end of the season for the cross-country teams, you can expect to see many members of both the men’s and women’s teams competing on the track and field team next year.
Blues knocked out of CIS tournament
Men’s soccer team finish season 11-3-2
U of T’s men’s soccer team dropped a 3-0 decision to the Cape Breton Capers on November 13, knocking the Blues out of the CIS championship. The 2015 soccer season had been successful for the Blues, and saw the men win a bronze medal at the OUA championships and place second in the division behind hometown rivals Ryerson Rams. The Blues, however, did not fare as well at the CIS championship, where they lost their first game against Canada west champions UBC 3-0, before taking on the Capers in the semi-final consolation match where the team lost again 3-0. Scoreless throughout the first half of the match, the Capers came back strong in the second; scoring two of their three goals within five minutes of each other. Host team York took away their second CIS banner in two years, beating out the University of New Brunswick 2-0 in the final. The Blues were heavily aided this season by third year co-captain and CIS All-Canadian Lukas MacNaughton as well as by third year striker Nirun Savananthan, who lead the Blues in goals and shots-on-goal this season.
