VICTORIA - The University of Victoria Vikes women's field hockey team are two-for-two in indoor tournament competition after winning the Annual UVic Indoor Tournament this past weekend, Jan. 23-24, at the McKinnon Gymnasium. The Vikes beat Shawnigan 4-2 in the final to wrap up their four-game undefeated tournament and defend their title.
The tournament win comes after winning the Hawks Indoor tournament just two weeks prior. This weekend's tournament included six other teams showing varied levels of experience. The Vikes beat Shawnigan, West Vancouver and the Islanders in their pool-play matches. Keeper
Larissa Piva was outstanding in goal, while the defensive pairs of
Annie Walters-Shumka and
Rosie Beale and
Kathleen Leahy and
Lizzie Yates limited Piva's work load.Â
Up front the Vikes were unarguably led by
Amanda Kurianowicz, whose low stick at speed caused havoc for most opponents' back lines. Young Vikes
Delaney Booker,
Jocelynne Charlton,
Stefanie Langkammer and
Jenna Dhillon showed great improvement throughout the tournament and were key offensive contributors.
In the semifinals the Vikes crossed over with the Valley Vixens, a team that included former UBC Thunderbird defenders Miranda Mann and Caitlin Evans, as well as former Vikes Sumeet Aujla and Alison Andersen (Fraser). The Vikes showed their experience taking the Vixens easily to earn a spot into the final.
In their fifth and final game the Vikes came out strong against a technically talented Shawnigan side. The Vikes were able to capitalize early and maintain possession to hang on to a 4-2 score line and, ultimately, defend their indoor title from last year.
Up next the Vikes will have one last indoor tournament before resuming outdoor training in preparation for next year. A one-day Senior BC Indoor Championship will take place on Feb. 6 in Duncan, B.C.
