Centre Dufferin District High School’s field hockey team still searching for a win after four games

By Chris Perrotte

The Centre Dufferin District High School (CDDHS) Royals fell to 0-3-1 on the season after losing game two of a doubleheader to the Orangeville District Secondary School Scarlet Bears on Sept. 28 at the Wellington Heights Secondary School Field.

Following a Game One loss of 2-0 to Westside Secondary School Thunder earlier in the day, the CDDHS Royals looked to win their first game of the season against Orangeville, who are the top team in the league.  

The Royals played a good game defensively, limiting the Scarlet Bears' scoring chances. Sophie Ferris made some key stops, keeping the game scoreless. Orangeville finally scored to make it one to nothing towards the end of the first half.

“We keep getting better every game. We are a team that has no club players; we have a lot of athletic girls but none that play this sport. We got a lot of hockey players,” said Monica Keller, assistant coach of the Royals. “I think this is the first place team and they're only up on us one after half so that's pretty good.”

During the second half of the game, both teams continued to play a tight game defensively. They went back and forth on the field, attempting to create scoring opportunities. The Scarlet Bears managed to break through the defence to score, giving them a 2-0 advantage. The game ended with Orangeville walking away with the victory.

“We have a really good group of rookies that have learned the game really fast, and we have a good group of veterans that have played for four years. That really makes a difference,” said Jen Coleman, head coach of the Scarlet Bears, who improved to a 4-0 record to start the season.

Despite the loss, the Royals showed improvements in their overall game.

“We did good actually. We're getting better every game. The season starts really quick at the start of the year. We usually get about one practice in before we have to play our first game. Our first game was a little rough last week, and we've been getting better and better every game. We can't figure out how to score yet, so hopefully that comes next week,” shared Drew Barfoot, head coach of the Royals.

The next game for the Royals will be on Oct. 5, held at the Orangeville District Secondary School versus Guelph Collegiate.