CALGARY – On a day when the program celebrated its alumnae, the University of Calgary Dinos field hockey team was dealt a 5-0 setback against the UBC Thunderbirds at Hawkings Field.

Saturday's festivities began with the Dinos honouring Gaylene Barry (Donald), the newest member of the Canada West Hall of Fame. From 1968-72, Barry established herself as one of the most decorated athletes in school history. Over a span of three years, she started on three conference championship teams in two different sports – field hockey and volleyball.

Once the game got underway, the Thunderbirds came out firing, playing a fast-paced and well-organized system. Kaia Cooper converted an early opportunity and scored three minutes into the match from a penalty corner. Riley Brown and Kenzie Girgis added goals in the second quarter to give UBC a comfortable 3-0 lead after 30 minutes.

In the second half, Sydney Le added her first, while Cooper found her second, to cap off the 5-0 result and gave first-year head coach Geoff Matthews a win in his debut at UBC.

The Dinos slip to 0-3 to begin the 2024 season, coming off a challenging Week 1 matchup against the Victoria Vikes. 

"We've had a bit of a hard week coming off of the Vikes weekend, but we really rallied together," explained Calgary team captain Jadyn Campbell. "The more senior players made sure to reach out to the younger girls to sort of nurture them through those losses and to get them mentally ready to come back the next weekend and show that we are a team with a lot of purpose and a bright future."

Among the highlights Saturday was an incredible save by Calgary goalkeeper Alana Madrid, who turned away a three-on-one opportunity by UBC in the third quarter. With quick decision-making, Madrid came off her line aggressively, cut down the angle and blocked the shot with precision. 

The Dinos will host their Seniors' Day on Sunday as they face UBC in their final home game of the season. The action gets underway at 11 a.m. at Hawkings Field.

SCORING SUMMARY
UBC – Kaia Cooper, PC, 6', 1-0 UBC
UBC – Riley Brown, FG, 20', 2-0 UBC
UBC – Kenzie Girgis, PC, 27', 3-0 UBC
UBC – Sydney Le, FG, 34', 4-0 UBC
UBC – Kaia Cooper, FG, 58', 5-0 UBC
 
GOALKEEPERS
UBC – Hannah Rumble, 31MP, 0GA
UBC – Robyn Goh, 29MP, 0GA
CGY – Alana Madrid, 60MP, 5GA
 
CARDS
UBC – Danielle McBean, GC, 17'
UBC – Khia Hollyer, GC, 37'
CGY – Sonia Hayre, GC, 39'
 
-UC-