Waterloo Warriors open with a win on home soil to kick off the 2026 University Championships

Toronto and UBC play to a 1-1 draw as competition heats up in Waterloo

It was opening day at Warrior Field in Waterloo, Ontario for the 2026 National Bank Field Hockey Canada U SPORTS Championship, presented by Farm Mutual Re. First-day games featured a heavyweight matchup with OUA Champions University of Toronto taking on the best of the west in UBC, followed by the hosts, Waterloo taking on the University of PEI, perennial Atlantic qualifiers.

Thunderbirds and Varsity Blues open the tournament with a 1-1 draw

The attack began just a few minutes into this one, as U of T surged into the UBC zone, earning a penalty stroke right off the jump. Vanessa Marques stepped up and smashed in the opening goal of the tournament and gave the Blues the early 1-0 lead. UBC bounced back in the first quarter, as Amy Stelling finished off a T-Bird circle entry, with a quick flick of the ball up and over GK Mary Yang. At the end of the first quarter, the score read 1-1.

From that moment on, the game settled into a see-saw rhythm as both teams traded chances. UBC carried the bulk of the possession in the second half, with Toronto pushing forward on counter attacks, taking advantage of gaps in the UBC defense. That 1-1 scoreline held for the remaining 45 minutes as this match ended in a draw. Geoff Matthews, head coach of UBC, said he was proud at how his team bounced back from the early deficit and played a solid 60-minutes of hockey.

“We expected U of T to give us a tough challenge, which is what happened, and I thought we finished the game really strong and gained some momentum going into the rest of the tournament,” Matthews said. “We know we’re not always going to lead games. We gave up a goal, and we have to move on and play well.”

Maggie Mullins, captain of the Varsity Blues, said she was proud of her team and how they battled against a challenging opponent. She highlighted that it’s rare they get to play against UBC, but they get lots of variety of opponent within OUA, so they used that flexibility in tonight’s match. She noted that scoring early gave the team confidence moving forward.

“I was very excited to play UBC. I haven’t played against them in my four years,” Mullins said. “Coming out and scoring so quickly showed that we have what it takes to compete with every team in this competition.”

Last night, Mullins was awarded the Liz Hoffman Award for the U SPORTS Player of the Year. Today, she led her Varsity Blues to an opening night draw against UBC today, both teams are back at it tomorrow.

Waterloo defends home turf in one-sided opener

When captain Sydney Blackburn opened the scoring in the ninth minute, the home crowd, dressed in their black and gold, erupted. The goal kicked off a dominant performance by hosts, Waterloo to begin their championship campaign.

The field was tilted for much of the game, with Waterloo adding two insurance goals in the second quarter and one more at the start of the third. Both Blackburn twins, Jalen Duffy and Tiffany Binkle all found the net in tonight’s 4-0 victory over UPEI.

The Panthers had sporadic chances, including five penalty corners, all unsuccessful. Panthers GK Bria Mathews faced a barrage of Waterloo shots, and kept most out, but the attack was too much, especially in the mid-section of the game. UPEI had some impressive play from team captain Charlotte Thompson and U SPORTS all-Canadian Kayla Batchilder, but were unable to get anything past Waterloo GK Grace Miller, who posted a clean sheet.

Waterloo’s Jalen Duffy said that playing at home, in front of the home crowd on a field they know well gave them confidence and advantage heading into the game. She said she’s proud of the team’s effort and excited for the next steps this week.

“We need to continue to work hard and work on our communication…scoring the first goal of the game is huge, so trying to build on that for tomorrow’s game and focusing on all the positives we brought out tonight,” Duffy said. “I’m really proud…I think we thrived in the pressure tonight.”

Originally from Burlington, Duffy played field hockey with several of her teammates in high school. Now a fifth-year student, Duffy has represented Waterloo in four consecutive U SPORTS Nationals. The previous three, she was playing on Waterloo’s women’s ice hockey team and this year, she’s on the field with the Warriors field hockey squad. She said the transition has been seamless and she’s so proud of the team thus far.

“Just bringing that competitiveness and knowing to play our own game is something I brought with me from my previous experiences,” she said adding that “reconnecting with [some of my former teammates] has been unreal, this season.”

From the ice to the field, Duffy and her Waterloo Warriors open the tournament with a win and are looking to keep it up as they face familiar foe, Toronto tomorrow.

Photos/Yan Huckendubler