VICTORIA – You couldn't have drawn up a better start. In fact, it wasn't even a designed play to begin with.

The University of Victoria Vikes were rewarded with a penalty corner in the first minute in Game 1 of the best-of-three U SPORTS national championship series on Friday afternoon at the UVic Field Hockey Turf.

The two-time All-Canadian Anna Mollenhauer blasted the set shot on net. Third-year midfielder Georgia Booker rushed the net and somehow managed to get a stick on it and deflect it past the University of Guelph Gryphons keeper Amanda Hodgert.

"I don't remember much, Anna put the ball on my stick and that's all I can ask," said Booker. "We didn't design it that way, it kind of just happened."

The goal in the opening minute held on as the eventual winner, as the Vikes blanked the Gryphons 3-0.

"We had a fantastic start by scoring in the first minute. We put them on their heels and gave us a bit of a piece of mind moving forward," said Vikes Head Coach Lynne Beecroft, as her squad now sits one win away from defending their national championship.

Alexa Corrado tried to answer back for the Gryphons with a nifty back-handed flip in tight and Katherine MacMillan deflected a second attempt moments later overtop the Vikes net.

All night long, anytime the Gryphons crossed midfield, they were instantly surrounded by at least a pair of blue shirts.

Leading the defensive charge was Judy Cristante, who received Player of the Game honours. The Saanichton, BC product teamed up with Sophia Berk to stymie any Gryphons scoring opportunity.

"Sophia is a rookie and she reads the game so well. Emily Wong was another defender for us that made a ton of great plays. I might have won the individual award, but that's because we had an incredible team effort back there that all worked together to shut them down," said Cristante.

In the second quarter, Jenna Berard took a corner for the Vikes. Melanie Robertson tried to roof it, but Hodgert gloved it down. Berard was first to it and tapped in the bouncing ball through Hodgert's five-hole.

Playing their first game on the water-based turf at UVic, the Gryphons struggled to get many scoring chances in the first half. Whenever they did, they were often surrounded by one of the three Vike defenders who were quick to bust up plays.

"Obviously the ball moves faster. You have to run a little quicker. You have to be first to the ball. You can see that Victoria's really used to that. We've played on it a couple times back at home but we're not on it every morning and every night. So just the ball speed (and) first touches, but I think after today we learned a lot," said MacMillan. "Honestly just positioning-wise, figuring out where we need to set up differently and keep working on our ball touches and being first to the ball. Those are just the little things that will make us successful."

Four minutes into the third, Erin Dawson took advantage of her home turf and ambushed Lauren Marcolini. Dawson ran in and chipped one of the right pad of Hodgert.

Dawson nearly delivered another in the fourth off a brilliant pass from Berard, but the goal was waved off as she made contact with the backhand side of her stick.

Vikes keeper Robin Fleming wasn't overly busy but she was called upon for timely saves throughout. Her best work came in the third quarter when MacMillan blasted a shot from outside and Kendra Puttick tipped it on net. Fleming was there at the last second to kick it out with her right foot.

Midfielder Mackenzie Janzen earned Player of the Game honours for the Gryphons.

"We don't know Guelph well, but we're glad to get this one under our belt. Now we have to come together as one, play as a team and see what happens," said Cristante.

The two teams resume action tomorrow evening at 4 p.m. If the Gryphons win and force a Game 3, it will go on Sunday at (2 p.m.). All game times are set in Pacific Time. Catch all the championship action on USPORTS.live.