Angels fall to Canyon Hills

The day kicked off with a drive up through the port of LA. Living in a port, we now have a new perspective on how small our Vancouver setup is. The purpose of our foray into the industrial logistics centre of America was to visit Battleship Iowa. Mr. Fitch was really pleased to hear how excited some of the parents were for this particular excursion. Our tour guides were lovely, if a little detailed. Notwithstanding, the team represented LFA (and Canada) so well--interested, engaged, and respectful. The highlights surely included the nicknames for the ship and the poignant World War II history directly tied to the ship--like getting FDR to the Cairo Conference with Churchill and Stalin in 1943.

A quick stop on Huntington Beach to check out Lemonade for lunch was both enjoyable and largely healthy. Then it was the not-insignificant drive to San Diego for our match with Canyon Hills. Sleeping was the name of the game on the drive down. We arrived in the late afternoon heat to a warm reception at their field--the perimeter was largely under construction, but the field itself was in good shape. 

According to last year's school rankings, Canyon Hills was the #2 team in California. From the outset, you could see their athleticism and speed. It would prove problematic for us, especially on the football turf, where we often resort to waterbase field hockey tactics which put pressure on us on he turn overs. 

Bea made the move into the cetre of the pitch which paid early dividends. Her and Amy were able to force turnovers and get us on the counter attack. Sure enough, the counter got us a short corner and our short corners have been superb all tour long. On a straight shot from the top, Amy rifled a flick into the corner for an early LFA lead, which we held until the second quarter.

A combination of the Canyon Hills strength and our frustration with the length of the turf disrupting out basics really featured on the tying goal and the go ahead goal for Canyon Hills. Despite some really great decisions from Claire, AnnYee and Charlotte, the opposition just pounced on every one of our mistakes. Kaelen played another fantastic game, making some wonderful saves. Indeed, a sliding save in the fourth quarter had the football boys waiting to take the field for practice absolutely buzzing.

While the flow of play leaned against us, we were not without our moments. A sensational run of minutes, late in the third quarter was started with a great pass from Sofia to Amy, who moved with pace across the middle, releasing Jess on the wide side. Jess spotted Aynslie and we were rolling. Indeed, it landed us a series of corners that were left wanting that last tip. It was that close for us. 

By late in the fourth quarter, you could see that LFA was spent. There was still some tenacious work, especially from Abby and Jess in containment, but the third goal was deserved for Canyon Hills after Kaelen had again made several wonderful saves.

Falling 3-1 to a top team will bring heaps of great experience to our side as we move forward this season. For our newer players to senior field hockey, it will have been a revelation for how fast the game is played at top high school hockey... for all of our players, it was a demonstration on the speed that can be played on field turf. The result aside, Canyon Hills were just the most wonderful hosts. A pizza dinner was arranged for us. Their whole team stuck around to spend time with our athletes. Laughing and sharing social media contacts, there was really a lovely feeling to the whole evening--one that will stand out and not be forgotten by our girls.