Duckies win OFSAA field-hockey gold

The Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School (WODSS) field hockey team earned the gold medal at OFSAA on Nov. 9. Pictured in the front row, from left to right, are Lauren Fidler, Victoria Shipp, Julia Amyotte, Jaden Greenlee, Maeve Turner, Tatjana Knezevic, Leah McPhee, Samantha Wright, Leah Thompson, Lauren Leis, and Willow Harris. In the back row, from left, are Natalie Otterbein, Janine Walmsley, Payton McPhee, Katelyn Pfohl, Olivia Luchetti, Ella Kittel, Avery Schaub, Ashley Woolcott, Reese Moore, Dana Kropf, Terri-Lyn Stewart and coach Amanda Smith. Contributed photo

By Spencer Seymour

Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School (WODSS) captured the gold medal at OFSAA finals on Nov. 9.

The OFSAA title capped off a dominant season for the WODSS Duckies that saw them win 26 of their 28 games, including league and tournament play, with the other two games ending in ties. WODSS didn’t suffer a single loss all year and outscored opponents 84-6.

Head coach Amanda Smith told the Gazette the team’s lessons a year ago propelled them to reach even greater heights this season.

“I’m really proud of this team and what we accomplished,” said Smith. “Because of the experience we had last year in getting to the finals at WCSSAA, CWOSSA and OFSAA, and losing at each of those finals last year, we felt we had unfinished business and a point to prove. They were hungry to get the job done.”

WODSS began the day on Nov. 9 with a semi-final clash against Saltfleet District High School from Hamilton, and a slow start resulted in Saltfleet scoring around two minutes into the game. It took approximately 10 minutes for the Duckies to find their footing, but once they did, they controlled the majority of the play for the rest of the half, ultimately resulting in a penalty stroke buried by Tatjana Knezevic to tie the game at one apiece.

According to Smith, the team’s resilience was a consistent theme for the Duckies on the rare occasion they fell behind this season.

“What impressed me most about our team this year was when we did get down a goal in the WCSSAA final, or in OFSAA play, we always came back with determination and scored. It didn’t happen very often, but when it did, we never gave up.”

The Duckies kept Saltfleet on their heels in the second half, causing the opposition’s defence to become more frantic. Finally, Leah Thompson scored for the Duckies and, thanks to some strong goaltending and stifling defensive play, WODSS held on for a 2-1 win, booking their spot in the final game.

The championship game pitted WODSS against Bluevale Collegiate Institute of Waterloo, a game that saw both teams go back and forth right from the start of the match. However, despite both teams getting chances to score, neither team found the back of the net in the first half.

WODSS managed to frustrate Bluevale with tenacious poke-checking in the second half, which ultimately led to an offensive opportunity that culminated in a net-front rebound which Thompson jammed into the net with around four minutes left.

The Duckies held on to their 1-0 lead to claim the OFSAA banner.

“The last four minutes seemed like an eternity, but we played smart defense and kept good possession to prevent any real chances from Bluevale,” Smith said. “The key for us was our tenacity. We were getting second and third efforts to strip them of the ball and doing a good job working the ball up our strong side to beat their defense.” 

Smith credited the team for its strong veteran talent coupled with significant improvements made by younger roster members.

“This year's team was special because we had a lot of veteran experience in our Grade 12s, three of whom have played field hockey at the provincial level. We also have a Grade 11 goalie who plays provincially and has become very difficult to beat over the last year.

“Our Grade 10s and 11s stepped up to fill the gaps left behind by last year's graduating players,” Smith continued. “Our Grade 9 rookies learned a tremendous amount from our veterans in both their pure field-hockey skills and their positioning and execution of our strategies.”