FIELD HOCKEY: The dynasty continues! Victoria earns seventh straight CW title ​

Recap prepared with files from University of Victoria Sports Information

VICTORIA – Not all ties are worth celebrating, but this one was an unforgettable exception.

The Victoria Vikes cemented their dynasty on Sunday afternoon, storming back from a two-goal deficit to earn a dramatic 2-2 draw with the rival UBC Thunderbirds — a result that secured Victoria’s seventh consecutive Canada West field hockey championship and 26th in program history, surpassing UBC for the most all-time conference titles.

Both teams entered the finale with the championship on the line. The Vikes needed only a draw or victory to clinch, while UBC required a win to reclaim the conference crown for the first time since 2017.

Riding the momentum of a 3-0 victory the day before, the Thunderbirds looked poised to spoil Victoria’s streak. Goals from Kaia Cooper and Sydney Le gave UBC a commanding 2-0 lead midway through the contest, putting the Vikes’ seven-year reign in serious jeopardy.

But when the dynasty was on the brink, Victoria responded like champions.

The comeback began in the 50th minute when Libby Hogg unleashed a penalty-corner strike that Brontë Thurbide redirected past the keeper to cut the deficit in half.

Then, with the goalie pulled and less than two minutes remaining, the Vikes were awarded another penalty corner. Hogg again fired toward goal, sparking a wild scramble in front of the UBC cage. Amid the chaos, Amanda Adams pounced on the loose ball and buried the equalizer — a championship-saving tally that sent the home crowd into celebration.

Victoria held firm the rest of the way to seal the draw and another conference banner.

“I think today they just grinded it out and left everything on the pitch,” said Vikes head coach Krista Thompson. “UBC is a team with a lot of talent, individually and collectively. I think our strength lies in the group, and today was a collective team effort — everybody showed up. I couldn’t be more proud of their fight.”

While UBC went on to win the post-game shootout 3-1 — with Mikayla Stelling, Kenzie Girgis, and Laurien Bruijning converting their attempts — the outcome had no bearing on the championship race.

Victoria goalkeeper Anais Chace was steady throughout, making key stops to keep her team within striking distance after UBC’s early surge.

The Thunderbirds opened aggressively, earning an early penalty corner that nearly found the back of the net before Chace made a clutch save. At the other end, Libby Hogg and Julia Boraston both tested UBC’s Robyn Goh, who turned aside multiple quality chances to preserve the 1-0 lead through the opening quarter.

The second quarter featured tight, defensive play, with both sides clogging the midfield and limiting opportunities before UBC carried its lead into halftime.

Next up: Nationals

With their conference dynasty secure, the Vikes will now look to continue another.

They'll now prepare to compete at the Field Hockey Canada University National Championship in Charlottetown, P.E.I. from Oct. 31 – Nov. 2, looking to extend their national championship streak to seven straight titles.