U SPORTS Championship Opens With a 1-1 Draw as Toronto’s Mullins Takes Player of the Year

Nobody could separate Toronto and UBC on the opening day of the Canadian university championship. The 1-1 draw leaves everything to play for in Waterloo.

Toronto’s Vanessa Marques opened the scoring from a penalty stroke in Thursday’s first game at Warrior Field. The first-year forward held her nerve, and the Varsity Blues led. It lasted four minutes. UBC’s Amy Stelling equalised after a scramble in front of goal, and that’s how it stayed.

Both goalkeepers had big afternoons. Toronto’s Maggie Mullins was named player of the match, and UBC’s Robyn Goh starred at the other end. A draw felt about right.

Mullins had already had her week. She was named the U SPORTS Player of the Year at Wednesday’s awards night in Waterloo, taking the Liz Hoffman Award. UBC dominated the rest of the honours. Mackenna Brown won Rookie of the Year, the third straight Thunderbird to take it. Geoff Matthews was named Coach of the Year, the first UBC winner since 2008, after leading the Thunderbirds to their first Canada West title and a first nationals appearance in nine years. Guelph’s Sophie Pomeroy took the Outstanding Contributor award after leading the OUA with nine goals.

UBC are chasing a 20th national title and a first since 2017. They went 6-0-2 in conference play to get here, and they lead the country in All-Canadian selections, with Goh, Kenzie Girgis and Shannon Stelling all named.

Hosts Waterloo closed day one against UPEI under lights in the late game. The Panthers are at nationals for a third straight year, and they got their place in unusual fashion, awarded the Atlantic invite after Dalhousie’s title was vacated for fielding an ineligible player.

The round robin continues on Friday. Toronto face UPEI at 4 p.m. EST (2 a.m. PKT Saturday) and Waterloo meet UBC at 6:30 p.m. EST (4:30 a.m. PKT Saturday). Saturday brings Waterloo against Toronto at 2 p.m. and UPEI against UBC at 4:30 p.m. The top two meet in the gold-medal game on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. EST, with the bronze game at noon. Every game streams on CBC Gem and the CBC Sports YouTube channel.