The Handsworth Royals are continuing their reign over AAA senior girls field hockey in B.C.
On Nov. 8, the team defeated the Kelowna Owls 2-1 in the provincial final to cap off yet another perfect season.
It’s the third-straight championship title for the Royals, and the second year in a row the team has won all four significant banners throughout the season. Those include the North Shore finals, the Vancouver-Sea to Sky Zone, the prestigious Bridgman Cup tournament and provincials.
But their dominant season came down to a nail-biting 60 minutes at the B.C. final.
Handsworth's Valerie Chan opened the scoring with around six minutes left in the first quarter. The play started off a short corner, with Chan managing to bury the ball in the Owls’ goal after several rebound attempts.
Just three minutes later, Zoe Gold scored again to give Handsworth a two-goal lead.
Kelowna responded less than four minutes into the second half of play.
That meant the Royals had to defend their lead for a grueling 20-plus minutes.
But with a rock-solid defence, Handsworth held the Owls off to claim the provincial trophy.
Coach Jessica Bratty said Kelowna had a strong team with lots of determination and grit.
“We had a fairly strong presence on the field throughout the game, with lots of [scoring chances],” she said. “They had a really strong defensive squad on the Kelowna side that was able to keep the score at an even level.”
But Handsworth’s high level of competition and athletic ability ultimately won them the banner.
Bratty acknowledged the strong leadership provided by head coach Ashleigh Gold. She also praised the initiative taken by co-captains Stella Shandro, Rhea Dulay and Camryn Jensen.
Other North Shore girls field hockey squads also had strong showings. Collingwood came second in the 2A provincials. Carson Graham and Argyle came fourth and fifth in the AAA finals, respectively.
