Four players from the Cowichan Valley will play for the U Sports national championship this coming weekend after helping the University of Victoria Vikes lock up the Canada West title on Sunday afternoon.
Cowichan Secondary grads Ashton Aumen, Jenna Berard, Melanie Robertson and goalkeeper Robin Fleming helped the Vikes capture their 21st Canada West championship by tying the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 2-2 in their last regular-season match at the UVic turf.
The T-Birds also feature two Cowichan Valley products in 2019 Canada West Player of the Year Sara Goodman and Jillian Wallace. Goodman fired shot after shot at the UVic net as UBC had five corners in the first quarter. Only one made it through the defence, but Fleming managed to knock it out of play. Another shot by Goodman off a second-quarter corner led to UBC’s first goal of the game.
The T-Birds took a 2-0 lead in the second half, again created from a shot by Goodman from a corner. UVic scored a minute later, then tied the game with five minutes left to play.
The Vikes, who are coached by North Cowichan/Duncan Sports Wall of Fame member Lynne Beecroft, finished the season with a record of five wins and three ties, while the T-Birds compiled two wins, one loss and five ties.
UVic will host the University of Guelph Gryphons in a best-of-three for the U Sports national championship, with the opening game slated for this Friday at 4 p.m.