With the University of Victoria (UVic) Vikes tying one of their two games against the Calgary Dinos last weekend, our seven-time reigning national champions in field hockey here at UBC find themselves still in the running for the one spot at nationals this year — by the skin of their teeth. That said, the team still has to pull off two substantial wins this weekend to secure the only Canada West national berth.
It will be a huge weekend for the team as they too face the Calgary Dinos, here on their home turf at Wright Field. With games on both Saturday and Sunday, here are a few keys to their weekend if they hope to make a run for their eighth-straight championship:
Score — a whole lot
Of course, all teams should be looking to score every game. This is particularly pertinent for the women’s team this weekend though, as they not only need to win both games but also finish the weekend series with a +7 goal differential to challenge UVic for Canada West national spot. This will be tough as the ’Birds have yet to score more than three goals in a game against the Dinos this season. That said, Calgary have let five goals go past them against UVic on two separate occasions — there is evidently space to pull this off if UBC puts on the pressure.
In those UVic match-ups, most of the goals against the Dinos came from a wide variety of players, proving that it wasn’t just one UVic all-star who carried the team. It’s going to have to be a group effort for UBC, too.
Exercise experience
As if we hadn’t already said it enough, UBC are seven-time national champions, which means they have lots of experience in high-pressure situations. Calgary, on the other hand, haven’t qualified for a U Sports championship — or a Canada West final even — since 2011. Not to say that the Dinos aren’t prepared for the mental battle that the sport brings, but UBC has years of practice at the highest stress level U Sports offers. What’s more, only four of the T-Birds players are brand-new to the roster, meaning that the vast majority of their lineup has faced playoff-style pressure at least once. Bonus: lots of the ’Birds are Team Canada recruits, too.
It’s time for the team to bear down and bring out that veteran fighting spirit.
Control the nerves
It’s all or nothing this weekend and that’s a lot to handle mentally. As mentioned, most of UBC’s roster has experience at the top levels of university sport and also nationally — but they are still human, and we all worry. That level of stress can lead to small mistakes if it consumes a player, so mental preparation will be big for the women leading into the weekend.
It’s also a hype game, meaning that UBC campus has had an onslaught of Facebook promotion sent its way this week in hopes of a big crowd, and big crowds can equate to more pressure. But harnessing that home support could also help the Thunderbirds through their two games. Going into the weekend highly focused and utilizing the support to power them forward will be indispensable.
All we have to say is: you’ve got this ladies. Do what you’ve got to do. We know you’ve got what it takes and we're behind you all the way!