UVic Vikes star Anna Mollenhauer factored in three of the team’s six goals in the Vikes two-game sweep of the Guelph Gryphons to win their second straight U Sports women’s field hockey championship on home turf, Saturday.
Coach Lynn Beecroft moved the 2019 U Sports field hockey player of the year up to to increase the team’s offence and it worked. The Vikes now have 13 national field hockey titles.
READ MORE: Vikes’ Mollenhauer named 2018 U Sports field hockey player of the year
“We moved [Mollenhauer] up for hits from the outside to generate more offence and she created more chances for herself and she is also very good on the penalty corners,” said Beecroft. “We’re lucky to have her. She could have decided to go try out for the national team this year, but she wanted to get her studies done and play with this group.”
On Friday, Mollenhauer sparked a goal just one minute in when she swept a shot at the net that teammate Georgia Booker was able to sweep past Gryphons goalkeeper Amanda Hodgert. In the second quarter, Jenna Berard tapped a goal in after Melanie Robertson’s shot was gloved down by Hodgert. Erin Dawson then made it 3-0 on Friday with a steal in the midfield, followed by an individual where she lost the ball but got it back and chipped it in past Hodgert.
ðŸ†Congratulations to the @uvicvikes, 2019 U SPORTS Field Hockey Champions!👠/ ðŸ†Felicitations aux @uvicvikes, championnes de hockey sur gazon U SPORTS 2019!ðŸ‘#ChaseTheGlory | #ViserHaut pic.twitter.com/Bb8F3jPUJP
— U SPORTS FH (@USPORTS_FH) November 3, 2019
The early leads put the Gryphons on their heels and built the Vikes confidence all weekend, Beecroft said.
On Saturday, Mollenhauer scored six minutes in with a backhand bomb past Hodgert on the near side. Then two minutes later, off a penalty corner, Mollenhauer scored, striking a cracking backhand again, but this time on the far side past Hodgert. Still in the first corner, Ashton Aumen scored to make it 3-0 Vikes on their way to another win.
Mollenhauer was named the MVP of the U Sports championship while UVic defender Judy Cristante was named their player of the game for Game 1 and Vikes goalie Robin Fleming their player of the game for Game 2.
The Vikes now have their own championship streak after they disrupted University of British Columbia’s run of seven straight when they won in 2018. The Vikes did win two straight in 1991 and ’92 and then 1994 and ’95.
The UVic Vikes now host the U Sports women’s soccer championships starting Nov. 7 at UVic.
