Over six games at the California Cup International Field Hockey Tournament late last month, the Cowichan Wildcats allowed just one goal.
Unfortunately, that one goal was the deciding marker in their semifinal match against Key Biscayne Field Hockey from Florida, sending the Wildcats to the third-place game. The Wildcats weren’t done with that, however, and rallied to win 3-0 over the Stryker Field Hockey Club from San Jose to take the bronze medal in the U16 division.
The Wildcats are just the latest team from the Cowichan Valley to excel against international competition at the long-running tournament in Simi Valley, Calif.
The Cowichan team blazed through pool play with three wins and one tie. They opened with a 0-0 draw against San Jose Blue Fly, then beat the San Diego Hot Stix 2-0, West Coast Eagles FHC 7-0 and the Rush 1-0.
The team was coached by Jamie Goodman and Ian Anderson. Players included Reese Nagy, Ashlyn Toljander, Karissa Birch, Melanie Robertson, Arica Windsor, Laurel Hayes, Madi Styba, Sage Nowzek, Ava Smith, Nicola Leech, Rayanne Pearson, Jenna Goodman, Birkley Anderson, Annika Kneen, Anya Hermant and Chloe Langkammer.