Commonwealth Games medals for sa国际传媒 in team sports will not flow as freely as the beer in establishments that line the glistening beaches of Australia鈥檚 Gold Coast.
The Island is well represented in the team sports on the Gold Coast. But most of the powerhouse nations in field hockey, netball and rugby sevens hail from the Commonwealth.
Three of the world's top-five ranked nations in women鈥檚 field hockey (England, Australia, New Zealand) are at the Games. So medals will be hard to come by for Canadian players Maddie Secco and Kathleen Leahy of Victoria and University of Victoria Vikes graduates Danielle Hennig and goaltender Kaitlyn Williams. Same for Canadian men鈥檚 field-hockey players James Kirkpatrick of Victoria and Olympians and UVic Vikes products Keegan Pereira and Matthew Sarmento.
The striker-midfielder Kirkpatrick, out of Oak Bay High, scored for sa国际传媒 in a 6-2 opening loss to New Zealand, while Sarmento scored in sa国际传媒鈥檚 1-0 victory over Scotland in the men's tournament.
On the women鈥檚 side, sa国际传媒 played Australia tight in a 1-0 loss and followed with a scoreless draw against Scotland. Former Vikes goalkeeper Williams has been outstanding in the Canadian net in allowing just one goal in two games heading into Saturday鈥檚 match against New Zealand.
Williams didn鈥檛 even take up field hockey until after high school in Coquitlam, when she joined a spring league. She made an immediate impression at UVic and was named 2007 CIS (now U聽Sports) rookie of the year in a career in which she won a national title with the Vikes in 2008 and was sa国际传媒 West goalie of the year in 2011.
UVic coach Lynne Beecroft once said: 鈥淜aitlyn wanted to face all the shots. She took every shot over five years, in practice and games. She was our only goalie. She never took a break off from a single shooting drill. Whatever it takes to stop the ball, Kaitlyn does it.鈥�
It has been an adventure, to say the least, for sa国际传媒 in the hockey competitions in 2018 Games. In the ice version of the sport, sa国际传媒 came second to the U.S. in what was basically a two-team women鈥檚 hockey tournament at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Then, sa国际传媒鈥檚 hopes for gold in the men鈥檚 Olympic ice-hockey tournament in Pyeongchang were scuttled by Germany, of all teams.
Much like in field hockey, the Langford-based Canadian men鈥檚 rugby sevens team is also in tough company when its Commonwealth Games tournament opens this week.
The Canadian team includes Island players Connor Braid, Mike Fuailefau, Luke McCloskey of Victoria, Patrick Kay of Duncan, Isaac Kaay of the UVic Vikes and UVic alumni Nathan Hirayama and Lucas Hammond.
The best chance for a Canadian medal in a Commonwealth Games team sport rests with Oak Bay-product Caroline Crossley and the Langford-based 2016 Rio Olympics bronze-medallist women鈥檚 sevens squad.
The Games competition is stiff on the Gold Coast even in men鈥檚 basketball, where sa国际传媒 opened with a 95-55 loss to the Australians, who feature their best pro players who aren鈥檛 overseas in the NBA or Europe. sa国际传媒 answered with a U Sports all-star team, and it showed.
It was literally men versus boys, as the Asian-champion Aussies took over the game with a 15-0 run after sa国际传媒 led 13-10 midway through the first quarter in Cairns.
Two-time sa国际传媒 West MVP Conor Morgan of Victoria was sa国际传媒鈥檚 best player as the Mount Douglas Secondary graduate scored a team second-highest nine points while pulling down a team-high six rebounds and leading in floor time with 28 minutes and 36 seconds.
Six-foot-nine Morgan, as comfortable parked under the basket as he is in stroking three-pointers from the perimeter, will no doubt be watched by pro scouts during the Games. Against the Australians, he saw what it will take to get to the next level.
鈥淚t was a great experience for our young kids to play against a legitimate senior men鈥檚 national team in a difficult environment,鈥� said Kirby Schepp, the Canadian men鈥檚 head coach.
鈥淭hey got a taste of a different style of play that they鈥檙e not used to. This experience will really serve us well in the rest of the tournament and in future international games for this group.鈥�
sa国际传媒 responded Saturday with an 82-67 win over Nigeria as Morgan again started and played 22 minutes and 14 seconds with six points, four assists and three rebounds.
In the pool, 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medallist Hilary Caldwell of Victoria began her quest in the women鈥檚 200-metre backstroke by qualifying second in 2:10.27, behind fellow Canadian Kylie Masse (2:09.12). The final was taking place early today Pacific time. Sarah Darcel of Victoria qualified fifth for the 200-metre individual medley final.
In Canadian highlights on Saturday, Masse won the women鈥檚 100-metre backstroke and gymnast Ellie Black the women鈥檚 individual all-around
