The third day of the U18 Nationals at the Tamanawis Park, in Surrey, ended with BC girls’ teams qualifying for the semifinal and the boys maintaining their winning streak.
All the BC teams won their games on Saturday. The Stags started out the day with a 7-0 over Quebec, and the Lions had the same score against Ontario East. In the afternoon, the Rams got the highest score in the competition so far by beating PEI 16-0.
With those results, Rams and Stags ended the round robin with a lead in their respective pools, and moved forward to the semifinal along with Ontario West and Ontario Central. The Lions will play another group stage against Quebec, Alberta, PEI and Ontario East to complete the standings.
BC Rams and Ontario West will meet for the first semifinal this Sunday, at 10:30 am. Lions and Ontario Central starts at 12:30 pm.
In the boys’ National, BC U18s maintained their amazing performance, winning their third game in three rounds. On Day 3, they beat Alberta by 10-0 and continue to lead their pool with 9 points.
Day 2 of the 2019 FHC U18 Nationals saw BC securing their second win among the boys, a clash between Lions and Rams’ girls, and the Stags beating Alberta.
The U18 Men’s National had two matches on the second day of the tournament. Both BC and Quebec faced and won against Alberta. The boys from British Columbia scored 11 goals without suffering any, and now lead their pool with 6 points after two rounds; Quebec has 3 and Alberta has 0.
In the girls’ championship, the BC Stags had a great 10-0 victory over Alberta in Pool B, which they too lead with 6 points.
Rams and Lions had a BC clash in Pool A; the Rams won by 4-0. Later in the afternoon, the BC Lions went on to face Prince Edward Island (PEI) and recovered themselves with good performance and 4-0 on the scoreboard.
After three rounds, the BC Rams are in first place in Pool A, with 7 points (2 victories and a draw) along with Ontario Central, leading because of a better goal difference. The Lions are third, with 3 points, followed by PEI and Ontario East, with 1 each.
The 2019 Field Hockey Canada U18 National Championships got started this Thursday at Tamanawis Park, in Surrey. Every Team BC in the competition had their first games on Day 1, with some great performances.
This first day of the U18 Women’s National was a true face-off between British Columbia and Ontario, with Quebec and Prince Edward Island only playing this Friday.
At 8:30 in the morning, the opening match of the tournament was between the girls from the BC Rams and Ontario Central, in Pool A. It was a very thigh game, and no one was able to get anything on the scoreboard, ending in 0-0.
The Rams went back on the pitch to close out the day, and what a game it was; 10-0 against Ontario East, with eight different players scoring.
Still in Pool A, the BC Lions were defeated by Ontario Central, 2-0. Playing in Pool B, the BC Stags girls had a great 3-1 win versus Ontario West.
There was only one game on this first day of the boys U18 National. BC played well against Quebec and managed to secure a 3-0 win. BC, Quebec and Alberta will play each other three times in the men’s pool, with whoever finishes in first place will get the gold medal.
The U23 Nationals came to an end on Canada Day, and all the BC teams had notable performances, with Team BC securing gold medals among women and men.
Throughout the competition, the women’s BC Rams and Ontario developed a healthy rivalry, facing each other three times in total. After a 1-1 draw in their first encounter, Ontario beat the Rams on the last match of the round robin, when both teams were already qualified for the final. This sort of preview taught the BC ladies some lessons, and they applied them well in the end, beating Ontario 2-0 and getting that gold.
BC Lions came in third place and, despite getting no wins in such a tight tournament, they were all smiles in recognition of their great effort.
Battle of BC
The U23 Men’s National was decided between the BC Lions and BC Rams. While the Rams dominated the pool stage, earning 13 points out of 15 possible, the Lions confirmed the second place only in the final minute of their last game against Ontario.
This mix of relief and excitement was brought over to the last game. It was a very even encounter, with both teams leading the scoreboard at some point and, in the end, a 2-2 tie to be decided in a penalty shootout! It was tight, but the Lions won by 2-1 and were awarded the gold medal.
The U18 BC Rams also participated in the tournament and finished in 5th place by beating Alberta 5-4 in their last match. The boys will now get ready to play their division. The U18 Nationals start July 4 at Tamanawis Park, in Surrey.
The U23 Women’s National started this Saturday with two matches. The BC Rams had a great performance against the BC Lions, winning by 8-1, and tied 1-1 with Ontario. All three teams will play four games on this stage, with the best two reaching the final on Monday, July 1.
As for the second day of the U23 Men’s National, it opened with a clash between both BC Rams in the tournament, U23 and U18 – a good opportunity for the U18 boys to test their skills against older players. U23 won by 3-0 and beat Quebec later on, with a 4-0.
The BC Lions had a great win versus Alberta, putting a 10-5 on the scoreboard, and also overcame the U18 BC Rams by 3-0.
With two wins and a draw between them on Day 1, BC Lions and U23 BC Rams are leading the competition with 7 points each. Because of a better Goal Difference, the Lions sit currently in front.
To follow the live score of the Nationals and see the full standings, schedule and statistics, access fhc.altiusrt.com.
This Friday, June 28, the 2019 FHC National Championships get underway at Tamanawis Park in Surrey, BC. Field Hockey BC, in partnership with Field Hockey Canada, will be hosting the U23 Division from June 28th to July 1st and the U18 Division from July 3rd to July 8th.
These players have been working hard throughout the spring and it all culminates with this important tournament where teams from across the country come together to compete at the highest level.
The action starts Friday night, and you can check the schedule here. Everyone is more than welcome to come, watch the games and cheer for those amazing players. If you are not able to attend, you can follow the live score at fhc.altiusrt.com.
Field Hockey BC is pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for the Judy Broom High Performance Bursary, aimed to assist female athletes who have participated in the Field Hockey BC Regional High Performance Program and have been selected to a FHBC Team BC Provincial Team.
The application deadline is July 8, 2019. In order to be considered for the aid, applicants must successfully show why they need financial assistance.
For more information on the Judy Broom High Performance Bursary and other bursaries offered, please visit the Field Hockey BC Foundation website. Click here to download the application form.
Field Hockey BC is excited to launch the 2019 Learn 2 Win Provincial Program for U23 male and female athletes. Selected athletes will participate in a 10 hour training program in June and will compete in the U23 National Championships from June 29 – July 1. Interested athletes can register for the trial free of charge!
Trials:
Men: Saturday, May 25 from 6 – 9 pm at Tamanawis Park, Surrey
Women: Sunday, May 26 from 4:30 – 7:30 pm at Eric Hamber, Vancouver
Trials are open to all BC athletes eligible by birth year. Registration will remain open until Wednesday, May 22nd at 12 pm. Click here for more information on the U23 Learn 2 Win Provincial Program. If you have any questions related to the Learn 2 Win Program, please contact Athlete Program Manager, Melody Haddow.
The Festival will host 11 boys and girls teams from across BC, as well as a team from Alberta in the girls division. This event will be the selection point for the U15 BC boys and girls teams that will represent our province at the 2019 National Championships July 24-28 in Calgary, Alberta.
With so much young talent on display, we want to share all the action with our field hockey community! For those who can’t make it out to the Festival, live scores and results will be available through AltiusRT. You can find lots more tournament content by following @fieldhockeybc on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!
Each time
Nora Struchtrup stepped onto the pitch at the 2019 Train 2 Compete Regional Championship
she was fully focused, ready to make an impact for her Island Stingrays team. That
doesn’t mean you won’t catch her smiling away on the pitch as a result of her genuine
love for the game.
The 16 year-old Victoria native played a huge role in the victory of the Island Stingrays at the Train 2 Compete Tournament. Her first quarter goal in the gold medal game led the Stingrays to a 1-0 win over the Northwest Jellyfish. As a natural forward with her speed and skill on display, Struchtrup’s standout performance has landed her a spot on the U18 BC Stags.
Nora Struchtrup (back row, middle) with the Island Stingrays, 2019 T2C Regional Champions. Photo: Chris Wilson
Struchtrup first played field hockey when she was 11 years old with the Victoria Rising Stars program and despite trying many other sports, nothing was ever quite the same.
“I’m a passionate
player, I really love what I do,” explained Struchtrup. “I’m aggressive and I
have fun while I play which I think is a good blend. I love the running and
tipping, trying to beat other people’s speed. As soon as I tried field hockey I
was stuck, there’s something about it I just love it.”
Her first
experience with Field Hockey BC was in the Learn 2 Train program and she has
continued with the high performance program ever since.
“It’s a lot
of like-minded girls, we all work hard and push ourselves,” said Struchtrup. “It’s
such a great program, it really brings the extra intensity that I love and I
think it has played a huge role in my development and continued love for the game.”
Nora Struchtrup (right) in action during the gold medal game at the 2019 Regional Championships. Photo: Chris Wilson
In her first
year of Train 2 Train, Struchtrup was selected to the reserve pool for Team BC
and one week before the National Championships, she got the call inviting her
up to the BC White team. She has since played for the U15 BC Stags and last
summer, the U18 BC Lions. Her team turned some heads at the 2018 National Championships
in Toronto where they came in and defeated one of the favourites in Ontario
West on the first night of the tournament.
“That was a
crazy game,” reflected Struchtrup. “Normally I remember most of the game, I do
not remember a single thing that happened in that Ontario West game. I was so
in the zone, we were all super intense and supporting each other, it was such a
cool experience.”
After last
year’s fourth place finish at Nationals and going into her fourth National
Championships this coming summer, she sees the National Championships as a huge
motivator to continue to improve and push for the next level.
Nora Struchtrup in action with the U18 Lions at the 2018 National Championships.
“The
Regional program is already a huge step up and then the Provincial program is
amazing, it pushes you physically and mentally, you get to make some new
friends and it’s just so much fun,” explained Struchtrup. “I just want to keep
coming back and keep playing.”
Struchtrup
will be taking another step in her field hockey development this summer, as she
will have her first opportunity to play with the Field Hockey Canada NexGen Squad.
She was recently invited to the U17 tour in Belgium and the Netherlands which
will take place prior to her participation in the National Championships. This opportunity
is extra special for Struchtrup as her extended family lives in Germany and
will be traveling to the Netherlands to watch her play.
Beyond this
summer, Struchtrup has her sight set on making the Canadian National team one
day. She also aspires to go to UBC or the University of Victoria to study and
play field hockey and with her German heritage, maybe even attend school there
and play field hockey for a German club team.
“I think it’s
going to be an exciting year coming up and seeing where these opportunities
take me.”
The future
certainly looks bright for this young athlete from Victoria and we can’t wait
to follow her progress at the National Championships and beyond!
