Attempting to take flight, the Guelph Gryphons were shut down by the Gaels during the field hockey season opener in a scoreless game last Saturday on Tindall Field.
With Guelph looking dominant early on, Queen’s attempted to keep them away from the net.
“We haven’t played with this much intensity in years. I think the group of girls that we have is really refreshing on how intense they are and how eager they are to learn to play well,” Defensive Player Tasha Stanford said. “We’re being led by some really talented and knowledgeable coaches this year.”
The first shot was by the Gryphons, it was a wide shot made seven minutes into the game.
“I think Guelph was definitely expecting to put a little bit more in the back of our net,” Goalie Jennie Izatt said in a post-game interview with The Journal.
By the end of the first quarter, the team evened out with their opponent. In the second quarter, the Gaels were playing better with their defensive game coming out strong.
In a previous interview with The Journal, Head Coach Rachelle Seguin spoke about moving a forward back to defense to help their defensive line. Alongside this line change, the team’s communication helped the Gaels to find strength around their net.
“At the end of the day, our communication was what put us on top of Guelph and kept them from scoring,” Stanford said.
With the score still sitting at 0-0, the Gaels were desperately attempting to score a goal and secure a win in the last minute of the game.
As the clock signaled the end of the game, the Gaels celebrated their scoreless tie.
“I’m very happy that we have a point from our first game—you get one point for a tie. [I’m] happy to get on the scoreboard early in the season,” Seguin said. “I think we had lots of chances, I think that’s kind of more important than having the win.”
Despite the ever-changing rosters, this was the first tie for the teams since 2018. A large crowd was attending the game, which Izatt said was refreshing to see.
“We haven’t really ever had much of a crowd before. That was a little bit nerve-racking, but we’ll get used to it,” Izatt said. “We’re excited.”
On Sunday, Sept. 17, the Gaels travelled to Waterloo where they lost 2-1 against the Waterloo Warriors. The Queen’s goal came from forward Monica Johnston.
As they look to improve their offensive-game this season, the Gaels return home Sept. 24 for a rivalry game against the Western Mustangs.
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