Shawnigan's Senior Girls Field Hockey Team fashioned an unforgettable finish to the 'AAA' Provincial Championship, with a nailbiting win over Heritage Woods.

After a disappointing round-robin that ended in a 1-2 record, the girls moved into the consolation side of the tournament draw. Shortly after the decisive group-phase loss to Kelowna Secondary on Friday, the girls were back on the pitch in Cowichan, where they earned a 3-1 victory over Winston Churchill.

Early Saturday morning, the squad struck the winner in the dying moments against South Delta, to earn a spot in the consolation final at noon.

With the rain that had soaked the fields all tournament long finally starting to let up, the girls outplayed Heritage Woods, but again couldn't find the back of the net in regulation time. With hundreds of nervous supporters cheering and gasping with every shot, the hosts finally got the result they sought, when a big save from Leigh C. was followed up by a clever finish from Annika K. in the sixth round of the penalty shootout.

"I'm so proud of these girls" beamed Coach Benjamin Koepp as his team hugged and posed for photos. "It was so heartbreaking to lose a couple of those round-robin games, and I'm really happy they had this positive finish."

Played in blustery conditions on different surfaces, Koepp said his young team may have been guilty of showing a little too much passion during the tournament's decisive moments, which led to strategic breakdowns. "The top ten teams are all so close, so those little things add up" he says. With a team made up of girls ranging from grades 9-12, Koepp says his team showed great character to fight back and earn a memorable victory in front of the School. "I'm so proud … They never gave up and they deserved this finish."

– Jon Zacks