The University of Toronto Varsity Blues field hockey team defeated the Queen’s Gaels on Saturday, but they lost their final two games of the weekend to the York Lions and McGill Martlets at Back Campus Field on Sunday.
The Blues earned their second victory of the season with a 1–0 win over Queen’s University. Despite key opportunities in front of goal, both teams largely failed to find the back of the net. The Queen’s team was unable to finish, as Blues defenders Emily Ziraldo and Julia Costanzo applied strong pressure and were able to clear and distribute the ball well.
Blues first-year forward Anna Costanzo scored the only goal of the game: she received a pass in the circle, beat her defender, and lobbed a shot over Gaels goaltender Amanda Thoo in the 48th minute for her team leading fourth goal of the season.
Shannon Snediker had a late chance to double Toronto’s lead: Thoo dove to her right, but Snediker’s shot went just wide of the target. Ziraldo also had a good opportunity to add to Toronto’s lead, but her shot sailed high.
The Blues began action on Sunday with a tough 3–1 loss against their rival York Lions. Two minutes into the match, the Lions got on the board with a goal from Madison Mitchell. The Blues provided plenty of attack throughout the first half but failed to equalize.
York midfielders Frankie St. Louis and Amira Bear added two quick goals to open up the game in the 45th and 51st minutes respectively, stretching the Lions’ lead to 3–0. Toronto managed to get one back in the 64th minute as Taylor Fleck scored her third goal of the season on a corner, but the Blues were unable to make up the difference. With the loss, Toronto’s regular season record against York falls to 0–2.
The Blues closed out the weekend with a 4–3 loss to McGill University in a tightly contested match on Sunday afternoon. Costanzo concluded her strong weekend with an early goal against the Martlets in the seventh minute for a 2–0 lead, two minutes after Megan Johansen opened the scoring on a corner.
McGill mounted a strong comeback, recording three straight unanswered goals — two in the first half — and Breeshey Roskams-Hieter netted the third one in the 53rd minute to overtake Toronto. Johansen tied the score in the 66th minute, adding her second goal of the match on another corner. The Blues were unable to net a go-ahead goal, and Constanza Martinez provided the game-winner for McGill in the 68th minute to close out the victory.
Following this weekend’s action, Toronto falls to fifth place in the OUA with a 2-3-2 record. The Blues will return to action on October 14 against the University of Waterloo at Back Campus Field.
