The University of Victoria Vikes field hockey players did what they needed to do last weekend to ensure a trip to nationals.
Playing a pair of wet weekend games, the Vikes bested the winless Calgary Dinos 6-0 Saturday and 4-1 Sunday at the UVic pitch.
The wins put the Vikes at 4-2-2 on the season, for a second-place finish.
The Vikes have time to work on their game in preparation of the CIS National Championship, opening in Toronto Nov. 3.
“There are still lots of things to work on,” Vikes head coach Lynne Beecroft said after Saturday’s game.
“Calgary scored on their penalty corners too easily this weekend, so we need to improve on that. We also need to work on quicker free-hits, as well as capitalizing on the opportunities that we have,” Beecroft said.
On Sunday, Calgary got on the board first, 18 minutes into the contest. The Vikes picked up the intensity after the Dinos’ goal but were unable to solve Ingrid Ulrich in the Dinos’ net for the remainder of the first half. The Vikes finally made their pressure pay off after teams returned to the field after halftime.
The win clinched second place in Canada West and a spot in the CIS National Championship tournament for the Vikes.
This will be the 12th year in a row the Vikes will play for a national title.
Sunday’s game was the last one at home for the graduating athletes from the Vikes roster. Rosie Beale, Kathleen Leahy, Annie Walters-Shumka, Amanda Kurianowicz and Lizzie Yates will head to Toronto looking to close out their illustrious careers with CIS gold medals.