South Delta Sun Devils senior girls field hockey team has earned its fifth provincial podium finish in the program’s rich history thanks to a superb showing in Surrey.
The tournament’s No. 5 seed earned a bronze medal after outlasting the No. 3 Kelowna Owls 2-1 in penalty strokes to conclude the 16-team B.C. “AAA” Championships on Friday afternoon at Tamanawis Park.
Back in September, the goal was a top five finish for a team that featured eight Grade 12 players. The Sun Devils simply got better as the season progressed, under longtime coach Neil McLennan, especially from an offensive standout. That was evident in their run to the Fraser Valley title that was capped by 4-0 win over Heritage Woods in the final.
The momentum and goals continued on day one of the championships with wins over Centenntial (4-1) and Okanagan Mission (5-0) that clinched a playoff berth. South Delta then went toe-to-toe with No. 2 ranked Cowichan with an early goal by the Island juggernaut and eventual silver medalist being the difference in a 1-0 loss to conclude round-robin play.
The Devils moved onto the quarter-finals where a goal in the dying seconds produced a thrilling 1-0 over No. 4 Oak Bay.
Friday morning’s semi-final put South Delta up against defending champion and No. 1 Handsworth in a game that was played at a blistering pace.
Some terrific saves in the early going by Nele Vogler kept the game scoreless through the opening half. The North Shore powerhouse broke the deadlock about five minutes into the second half and that would be the difference in the 1-0 win. The Royals defeated Cowichan 2-0 in the final.
It was then defeating a Kelowna side that handed South Delta a 1-0 loss on the same field just a few weeks earlier at the Golden Pumpkin Tournament.
