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Though the team was short on players, they pushed to do their best. Photo: Ms. Bhandarkar

On 6 October 2015, the MGCI Girl’s Varsity Field Hockey team played their first game against Humberside Collegiate Institute at the Cherry Beach Field, ending with a final score of 4-0 for Humberside.

The first half of the game began roughly, with Humberside scoring their four goals throughout the period. However, the girls came back stronger in the second half, obtaining three runs down the sidelines.

“We’re very proud of the girls,” said Ms. Bhandarkar, on behalf of her and Mr. Bowers, the team’s coaches. “Considering we didn’t have any subs for this game, it was really impressive how the girls kept pushing themselves until the end.”

Due to a variety of conflicts, the Girl’s Field Hockey team had been forced to play with only eleven players: the bare minimum for a team. For many of the players, this was their first field hockey game.

“We were definitely short players,” commented Lois Lau, a left defender on the team, “and while we still have some work to do in terms of positioning, I think this was an impressive first game for the team.”

While the game against Humberside was not the first scheduled game for the Girl’s Field Hockey team’s season, it is the first the girls have played; a scheduled game on 1 October was forfeited because many of the players were attending the Stratford Festivals.

With a short season, the team has two games left: one on 8 October against Leaside, and another on 13 October against Monarch Park. To qualify for playoffs, the girls need to win the next two games.