FIELD HOCKEY ROUNDUP: Varsity Blues outscore opponents 14-2 on opening weekend

Saturday, September 13

Western 2 @ Toronto 5

Third-year defender Alison Lee scored three goals in leading the University of Toronto Varsity Blues field hockey team to a 5-2 season-opening win over the Western Mustangs on Saturday morning at York Stadium.
 
Second-year forward Anna McNeil of Sutton, Ont., opened the scoring in the seventh minute, but Western responded and the game remained deadlocked at halftime.
 
The Blues responded, outscoring the Mustangs 4-1in the second half. Lee notched a hat trick, two off of penalty corners and one off a penalty stroke, while first-year standout Nikki Woodcroft notched her first goal as a Varsity Blue.

Source: Toronto Varsity Blues

McGill 5 @ Western 0

TORONTO -- Sarah Main served up a dish that was too rich for the Western Mustangs to stomach as the McGill University women's field hockey team cruised to a 5-0 victory to open the OUA regular season on the campus of York University, Saturday.

The victory snapped an 0-22-4 regular season winless streak dating back to a 3-0 conquest over York on Oct. 16, 2011. The five-goal outburst was the most by the team since an 8-0 whitewash over Carleton, Sept. 18, 2010.

Kylie Nabata's goal, from a short corner, in just the fourth minute of play, held up as the game-winning tally for the bio-chemistry junior from North Vancouver, B.C.

Main, a sociology senior from Vancouver, B.C., netted a true hat-trick, scoring in the 11th, 26th and 32nd minute to put the game out of reach.

Senior Erin O'Rourke of St. Catharines, Ont., round out the blow-out with a goal in the 49th minute.

Starting goalkeeper Marianne Emler, a political science junior from Geneva, Switzerland, was credited with the win, shared the shutout with rookie Katie Friedman of Buffalo Grove, Ill., who subbed in during the 67th minute.

Source: McGill Athletics

Queen's 0 @ Toronto 6

Toronto followed that up with a 6-0 win over Queen's Saturday afternoon. Six different Blues scored in the win, including McNeil, Nikki Woodcroft, Amanada Woodcroft, Emma Stairs, Nicole Spring and Alex Thicke.

Source: Toronto Varsity Blues

Other Scores: Queens 1 @ York 0

Sunday, September 14

Waterloo 1 @ McGill 1

TORONTO -- Sarah Main scored in the 50th minute of play as the upstart McGill University women's field hockey squad battled Waterloo to a 1-1 draw on Day 2 of the OUA season-opening tournament on the campus of York University, early Sunday morning.

It was the foutth goal in two games for Main, who guided the Martlets to a season-opening  5-0 performance over Western on Saturday.

McGill fell behind 1-0 in the 25th minute when Waterloo's Stephanie Snyder struck gold on a penalty stroke, paving the way for Main's tying marker.

Goaltender Marianne Emler went the distance for McGill, which had a number of good scoring chances over the final 10 minutes but were unable to solve Warriors goalie Nickole Levear.

Source: McGill Athletics

York 1 @ Guelph 3

Toronto – Sunday, the Field Hockey Gryphons were victorious over the York Lions by a score of 3-1 in their league opener on the road.
 
Sporting their flashy new uniforms, Guelph dominated the game and maintained possession for the most part but struggled with the surface. Coming off a pre-season tour in Holland and Germany, the Gryphons played on a water-based pitch which is the surface that hockey is played on internationally. Upon their return, they competed at the UofT Invitational which was a test for the 2015 Pan Am Games, also on a water-based surface where the field is flat, even and predictable, allowing for a faster paced, dynamic and more exciting game. However, today they returned to action on a turf-grass field at York which is about 30% slower and much less predictable. As a result, it took a little getting used to, but the Gryphons remained patient and knew the coin would drop eventually.
 
With three minutes left in the first half, Erin Houle (Burlington, ON) hit the ball into the circle and Daniela Jelec (Mississauga, ON) tipped it to Crysta Stubbs (Whitney, ON) who dove to put the ball over the line to go in front 1-0. At the 57-minute mark, the Lions retaliated to even the score, but the Gryphs responded 4 minutes later. Nicole Paola (Waterloo, ON) dribbled the ball in from the 21-yard line to find an open Olivia Lane (Guelph, ON) scoring the game winner and her first league marker as a Gryphon freshman. With 2 minutes before the final whistle, Allison Chute (Greenfield Park, QC) tipped in the insurance marker on a Paola shot from the top of the circle (her second assist on the day) for a 3-1 victory.

Source: Guelph Gryphons

Waterloo 0 @ Toronto 3

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues field hockey team defeated the Waterloo Warriors 3-0 on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 14) at York Stadium.
 
With the win, the Blues are 3-0-0 to start the season and sit atop the OUA standings.
 
Toronto played the majority of the game in the Warriors end, with numerous penalty corner opportunities.
 
Third-year defender Alison Lee of Mississauga, Ont., led the Blues with two goals off of penalty corners, while Anna McNeil added a single goal in the win.
 
The Varsity Blues return to the field next Saturday, September 20 as they head to Kingston, Ont., to take on the McGill Martlets. Game time is set for 12:30 p.m.

Source: Toronto Varsity Blues

McGill 0 @ York 1

The York University Lions field hockey team opened the season with a 1-1-1 mark in three games this weekend, highlighted by a 1-0 victory over the McGill Martlets at York Stadium on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 14).
 
Second-year forward Morgan Surajram (Etobicoke, Ont.) scored the lone goal for the game winner in the 42^nd minute, and rookie goalkeeper Shanelle Fernando (Markham, Ont.) earned her first shutout in net to lead the Lions to the victory.
 
Earlier in the day, the Lions dropped a hard-fought 3-1 decision to the defending OUA champion Guelph Gryphons. The game was tied at 1-1 as the game entered its final 10 minutes, but the experienced Gryphons scored a pair of goals in the 61^st and 68^th minutes, by Olivia Lane and Allison Chute, to claim the victory.
 
Rookie Michelle Per (Port Moody, B.C.) scored the first goal of her career in the 57^th minute to even the score, after the Gryphons took the lead in the first half on a goal by Crysta Stubbs.
 
The Lions were also defeated in their first contest of the season by a score of 1-0 by the Queen's Gaels on Saturday. Taylor Herrington scored the game's only goal in the 47^th minute.
 
The Lions will play another trio of games next weekend in Kingston, Ont., beginning with a contest against the Gaels on Saturday morning (Sept. 20) at 10:45am. They will also face the Western Mustangs on Saturday at 2:15pm and the Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday at 10:45am.

Source: York Lions