The Cowichan Secondary Thunderbirds finished fifth overall among some of B.C.’s top high school field hockey teams at the Bridgman Cup tournament in Victoria last weekend.
“It wasn’t the results we were looking for as a team, as we are always hoping for top four,” Cowichan coach Perri Espeseth said. “But we ended on a really strong note.”
The T-Birds finished second in their pool, one point back of Little Flower Academy, which set up a quarter-final showdown against defending champions Handsworth, which ended in a devastating 5-1 loss for Cowichan.
“We came out really strong and controlled the game for the first 10 minutes,” Espeseth reported. “But once they got a goal we were taken aback and weren’t able to rebound to hold on to a close game. That was a good learning opportunity for the team and we really focused on the importance of being grounded and present, and not letting a talented team get in our heads too much before a big game.”
The T-Birds rebounded from that loss to beat Crofton House on Saturday morning and earn a spot in the fifth-place game, a rematch against Little Flower, who Cowichan tied in pool play. This time, the T-Birds prevailed 5-1, led by Chloe Langkammer’s four goals.
Cowichan captains Langkammer and Jenna Goodman set the tone with consistent play throughout the tournament.
“Jenna had some amazing defensive plays from tackles to distributing the ball to finding some attack during the last games,” Espeseth stated. “Chloe had many world-class goals and generated a lot of attack from the 50-yard line. She was often seen dribbling through many players to score or create many scoring opportunities.”
Grade 10 left defender Maya Doman and right midfielder Anya Hermant were also among Cowichan’s top performers.