Four wins and a bronze medal on Futures Cup 2018 final day

The final day of the Futures Cup 2018 saw the Caledonian Cougars play some great hockey and finish the tournament well. The U17 Girls’ squad won bronze at the tournament, while both U15 squads finished fifth, as did the U17 boys.

U17G | 3rd/4th Play-off | Pennine Pumas 0-1 Caledonian Cougars

A late Ruth Blaikie goal secured a bronze medal for Caledonian Cougars U17 Girls at the Futures Cup 2018.

It was a very good performance by the Cougars who always looked in control and could have scored more goals.

The Pumas were a difficult team to break down and forced the Cougars to adapt to a different style of play.

Bronwyn Shields was very unlucky not to score when she showed great skill to beat four players at the top of the D, but her reverse shot was met by an excellent diving save high at the corner of the goal to deny the Scot.

Lucy Smith also came close from a penalty corner but was again denied by some good goalkeeping.

Ruth Blaikie eventually broke the deadlock in the final quarter when she scored to put the Cougars 1-0 in front with ten minutes to play, and it was a great goal. It all started when the Pumas burst forward in a counter attack, and the Cougars did well to win the ball back on the edge of their own D. Shields showed great composure to bring the ball forward from a tight position to prompt a slick linking break forward. Zara Mason then picked out Blaike, who had run the length of the pitch twice by this point, and she slipped the ball home to make it 1-0.

In the end one goal was enough and the U17 Girls Cougars walked away with a thoroughly deserved bronze medal.

 

U15G | 5th/6th Play-off | Caledonian Cougars 3-1 Celtic Jaguars

Caledonian Cougars U15 Girls rounded off their Futures Cup 2018 with a 3-1 victory over Celtic Jaguars. The result means the Cougars finished in fifth place in the tournament held in St Albans.

The opening goal came on the stroke of half time and it was Ava Smith who provided the strike to make it 1-0. Smith entered the circle on the right and fired a sublime reverse stick shot into the opposite top corner to get her side the lead.

The third quarter was a dominant one for the Jaguars and they pulled out an equaliser in the third quarter and the goal came through Katie Gwyther.

The Cougars showed great resilience to take control again in the fourth quarter, and then Ellie Rutherford restored the Cougars lead through a penalty corner to make it 2-1. The ball was slipped to the side from the injection for Rutherford, who calmly collected and swept a very composed finish into the bottom corner.

Just a few minutes later and Ava Smith gave the Cougars a two-goal cushion when she scored her second and the Cougars’ third goal of the contest. The goal was almost a carbon copy of her first with the ball not quite nestling in the top corner this time, but a delightful strike nonetheless.

Congratulations to Ava Smith who was voted player of the tournament.

 

U15B | 5th/6th Play-off | Caledonian Cougars 1-0 Celtic Jaguars

It was a fifth place finish for Caledonian Cougars U15 boys when they defeated Celtic Jaguars 1-0 in the Futures Cup play-off in St Albans.

The Cougars were completely in charge of the match and put in a really pleasing performance to take the spoils in this match.

Attacking from the outset the Cougars had their opponents under the cosh, and Captain Euan Menzies along with Dan Pearson were putting in tremendous performances.

The game’s only goal came in the second quarter as half time approached and it was the influential Euan Menzies who was the scorer from open play. The goal was one of the most impressive at the tournament, with at least 20 passes in the build-up that included lots of movement, and one-twos, before Menzies received the final pass from Charlie Jack and slid the ball low past the keeper’s left into the corner of the goal.

As the game progressed the Jaguars made it very difficult to get behind their deep defence and create more clean chances for goal, although Menzies struck the side netting in the final quarter and Cameron Moran narrowly missed the top corner with a strike.

Cameron Ede was voted the team’s player of the tournament and the Cougars went home with a good solid victory on the final day of the Futures Cup 2018.

 

U17B | 5th/6th Play-off | Caledonian Cougars 5-3 Celtic Jaguars

Caledonian Cougars U17 Boys came out on the right side of an eight goal thriller with a 5-3 win over Celtic Jaguars in the goal-fest at Futures Cup 2018.

It was the Celtic Jaguars who opened the scoring and the goal came through Jacob Heaton-Rue in the opening quarter.

The Cougars battled back in the second quarter and equalised through Struan Walker in the 20th minute. Some good interchange at the top of the D resulted in a reverse stick smash into the top left corner of the net.

The third quarter was laden with goals and it was the Cougars who struck first. Walker scored his second of the match from a penalty corner drag flick before Charlie Wilkins quickly equalised for the Jaguars.

Walker then bagged his hat-trick when he scored to make it 3-2 to the Cougars with a reverse shot into the right corner, before Joseph Webb equalised for the Jaguars as the end of the third quarter approached.

Early in the final quarter the electric Walker scored his and his team’s fourth goal of the contest to make it 4-3. He is the first player to ever score four goal in one Futures Cup match.

Finn Halliday put the game to bed for the Cougars when he scored with a reverse stick shot under the goalkeeper from close range, to make it 5-3 and seal the win and fifth spot at the Futures Cup 2018.

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