T-Birds Women's Field Hockey Welcomes Four Exciting Recruits Ahead of 2023 Season
First year head coach Richard Hildreth has put his early stamp on the 2023 UBC women's field hockey season with the addition of four talented local recruits.
VANCOUVER – First year head coach Richard Hildreth has put his early stamp on the 2023 UBC women's field hockey season with the addition of four talented local recruits. The exciting 2023 recruitment class includes goalkeepers Christianne Shojania (Vancouver, BC) and Robyn Goh (North Vancouver, BC) along with midfielders/defenders Kaitlyn Pennefather (North Vancouver, BC) and Ella Goodman (Duncan, BC).
"I'm really excited for this recruit class. We've got two really good keepers to provide some great depth and competition in goal. Then with Kaitlyn and Ella, we're getting two really dynamic and versatile players who can slide into different positions with our group," remarked head coach Richard Hildreth who took the reins as head coach of the UBC women's field hockey program back in January. "These four athletes are a good mix of talent and character. It's important for us to bring in good players and good people. This is an exciting and dynamic class of recruits with great character."
Goalkeeper Christianne Shojania joins the blue and gold after graduating from Crofton House School earlier this year. Shojania played last season with both the Crofton House Falcons and the Polar Bears FHC program in Vancouver and was named Most Improved Grade 12 Athlete. Recently she captured a bronze medal during her spring league championships with the Polar Bears FHC. Her high school athletics resumé also includes: A 2022 bronze medal at the ISAA tournament, a 2022 Bridgeman Cup tournament victory and a 2021 gold medal victory at the ISAA's. She's planning to study Kinesiology at UBC.
I think adaptability and communication are the most important skills that I bring to the field," said Shojania. "I am most effective when I can communicate with my teammates and direct the play all the way from the net to the forward line to ensure that everybody stays organized and aware."
Sharing the net in 2023 will be Robyn Goh, a recent graduate of École Windsor Secondary School who played club field hockey with the West Vancouver Field Hockey Club (Rob Short Coaching Academy). Goh represented Canada at the U21 Junior World Cup at the Junior Pan American Championships and helped her team to a fourth-place finish. Goh captured the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award during her Grade 12 year and also previously captured the Windsor Excellence Award, the Windsor Grade 11 Female Athlete of the Year Award and the North Shore High School Field Hockey AA championships during her Grade 11 season. She'll also be studying Kinesiology at UBC.
"I believe my best attribute as a goalie is my ability to communicate with my teammates," explained Goh. "I chose UBC because of the strong academics and the great history of field hockey."
Kaitlyn Pennefather arrives at the Point Grey campus after completing her high school career at Handsworth Secondary School and Sea To Sky FHC. She helped guide Handsworth to a 2022 provincial championship and has also represented Team BC at the national level. She's a two-time reigning high school all-star and is planning to study engineering at UBC.
"UBC has an excellent engineering program, an extremely competitive field hockey team and a welcoming school culture," added Pennefather who cites stick handling and outleting as two of her best skills on the field hockey pitch.
Rounding out the 2023 recruiting class is Ella Goodman – A recent graduate from Cowichan Secondary School and the Cowichan Field Hockey program. Goodman was named MVP of her team after helping them to a sixth-place finish at the 2022 field hockey high school provincials. She listed UBC's "friendly, inclusive environment and the high-quality academics" as the primary reasons for her to sign on with UBC. She'll be studying sociology.
The 2023 Canada West Women's Field Hockey season begins for UBC on Saturday, September 9th against Calgary. The blue and gold make their 2023 home debut on Saturday, September 23rd against Victoria. Check out the entire 2023 women's field hockey schedule here.