Mustangs place 3rd at Valleys

The Princess Margaret Mustangs split two games and finished in third place in the Valley senior girls’ 2A field hockey championships on Saturday in Oliver.

Maggie lost to the host Southern Okanagan Hornets 3–0 in the opener. Despite losing, the game was well played with both teams having scoring chances. The condition of the fields in Oliver are as close as grass can be to turf, which makes the game fast with good passing and stickhandling.

Kalayna Devlin, Kara Stayberg, Alice James and Kayla Francisco put in very solid defensive efforts. Brooke Scott had a strong game offensively, and Christine Maurer and Alyse Kohler-Mergel were named co-MVPs for Maggie.

In the second game, Maggie came out ahead of Summerland 1-0. The goal was scored on a total team effort from the forward line off of a penalty corner. Brook Scott passed to Christine Maurer, who crossed it over to Susie Robinson and on to Annika Wright, who sent the ball into the net.

Maggie kept the pressure on with many shots and penalty corners. Eden Pearce and Annika Wright shared the shutout for Maggie. Haruka Kubo and Kalayna Devlin played well on defence, while co-MVPs for the game were Kayla Francisco, Alice James and Brooke Scott.

Coaches Makeena Hartmann and Joycelyn Legary, who are Maggie grads, were pleased with the performances of all the players.

“There has been great improvement and growth over the season. It is really rewarding to watch how much the girls have learned and come together as a team,” said Hartmann.

She said the Maggie team has been very fortunate with amazing support from parents and family in purchasing new equipment. Keith Pearce, Barb Simpson from Oliver Family Grocery, and Theresa Maurer from Pur-Zen Fitness donated funds.

The Maggie team has had keen interest from the international students who attend school in Penticton.

This year, Maggie had three students from Japan playing for the first time — Yuki Tange from Hiroshima, Chihiro Kondo from Nagoya, and Haruka Kubo from Osaka.

They picked up the game quickly and found they really enjoyed it.

Special to the Herald Members of the Princess Margaret Mustangs team are, front row, from left: Haruka Kubo, Yuki Tange, Chihiro Kondo, Kalayna Devlin, Susie Robinson, Annika Wright. Back row: Makeena Hartmann (coach) Christine Maurer, Eden Pearce, Alyse Kohler-Mergel, Kayla Francisco, Brooke Scott, Kara Stayberg, Alice James, Joycelyn Legary (coach).