TORONTO (CIS) – The UBC Thunderbirds capped off their undefeated season with a 3-0 shutout win over the No. 2 and host Toronto Varsity Blues to claim a record 14th McCrae Cup title as the 2012 FHC-CIS women's field hockey championship wrapped up on Sunday afternoon at Varsity Centre.
Second-year defender
Sara McManus scored all three goals for the Thunderbirds. The Delta, B.C., native opened the scoring in the 5th minute on the first short corner opportunity of the game and added an insurance marker on a penalty stroke in the 48th minute. She then secured the hat trick performance with a goal in the 60th minute to secure UBC's second straight national title.
“I couldn't have had those chances without the team setting me up so it was really a total team effort,” said McManus, who led the Thunderbirds with five goals during the tournament. “We knew it was going to be a battle against Toronto and that we would have to fight really hard.”
UBC ends the championship 4-0-1, and their 2012 campaign with an undefeated 12-0-1 record. The Thunderbirds have claimed three of the last four national titles.
CIS rookie of the year
Hannah Haughn earned championship MVP status. The first-year midfielder from West Vancouver, B.C., was ecstatic with her team's performance.
“Getting MVP is just the cherry on top,” commented Haughn. “I think our team really deserved it from how we played all year long.”
“Absolutely satisfying,” said UBC head coach Hash Kanjee. “I think the kids did an amazing job listening to us and taking in the information we were giving them. They let the ball do the work and used the width. They kept their structure and we just dug away. Defensively, we held tight even with Toronto looking very strong themselves.”
The Varsity Blues settle for silver to earn their 25
th national medal since 1975. The Blues are 11-time champions, and have won the silver and bronze seven times each.
The two teams have now met six times over the years in the championship game, with UBC prevailing four times (1978, 1982, 1983, 2012) and Toronto twice (1988, 2010). The T-Birds hold the all-time record with 14 McCrae Cups and 21 appearances in the title match. The Blues are tied for second place with Victoria with 11 CIS banners in 18 gold-medal appearances.
Despite a few corner opportunities in the second half, Toronto was unable to convert and solve UBC goaltender
Bea Francisco (Richmond, B.C.).
“I thought our girls played really hard today,” said Varsity Blues head coach John DeSouza. “We gave up a goal early but then we started to play. I'm very proud of this team. They're a very special group.”
SCORING SUMMARY
UBC: 1-2: 3
TOR: 0-0: 0
First half
UBC
Sara McManus (4), 5th minute
Second half
UBC
Sara McManus (5), 48th minute
UBC
Sara McManus (6), 60th minute
Goaltenders
UBC:
Bea Francisco (W, 70:00, 0 GA, 4-0-1)
TOR: Kathryn Williams (L, 70:00, 3 GA, 2-2-1)
Players of the game
UBC: Katherine Gillis (Toronto, Ont.)
TOR: Kaelan Watson (Richmond, B.C.)
CHAMPIONSHIP HONOURS
Championship MVP: Hannah Haughn, UBC
R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award: Victoria Vikes
Championship All-Stars:
Kate Gillis, UBC
Hannah Haughn, UBC
Sara McManus, UBC
Natalie Sourisseau, UBC
Tegan Stairs, Toronto
Kaelan Watson, Toronto
Amanda Woodcroft, Toronto
Brittany Seidler, Guelph
Megan Duffy, Western
Lauren Mackenzie, Western
Rosie Beale, Victoria
STANDINGS, SCHEDULE & RESULTS
Official championship website:
http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/fh/index
NOTE: 3 points for a win and 1 point for a tie.
About Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Every year, 11,000 student-athletes and 700 coaches from 54 universities and four regional associations vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, as well as numerous world university championships. For further information, visit
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