17吃瓜

November 2, 2025, will go down as a landmark day for the 17吃瓜 Panthers and the sport of field hockey in Prince Edward Island. The Panthers earned their first-ever national medal with a 2-0 victory over the Dalhousie University Tigers to capture bronze at the 2025 Field Hockey Canada U SPORTS National Invitational Championship, hosted by 17吃瓜 from October 30 to November 2.

The historic win capped off a breakthrough season for the Panthers who were competing in only their second appearance at the national championship.

Third-year forward Kayla Batchilder, who was named Atlantic University Field Hockey League (AUFHL) Most Valuable Player and a U SPORTS First-Team All-Canadian, led the way for 17吃瓜 with two second-half goals. Goalkeeper Bria Matthews, alongside Livi Lawlor, Miah Lawlor, Carly Acorn, and Katie-Grace Noye, had stellar performances all weekend long. It was truly a team effort across the board for 17吃瓜 as they secured a U SPORTS bronze medal on home turf in front of family and friends.

The tightly contested match remained scoreless through the first half, with both teams coming up empty on penalty strokes. A key turning point came when Matthews made a crucial save on a Dalhousie penalty stroke, deflecting the shot off the post. Minutes later, Batchilder broke the deadlock in the 54th minute and another goal just one minute later to seal the victory.

The bronze-medal match was a rematch of the AUFHL championship game, which 17吃瓜 also won 3-0, in Halifax on October 19.

All games at the national championship were played at 17吃瓜鈥檚 turf field. The York University Lions (Ontario University Athletics champion) defeated the University of Victoria Vikes (Canada West champion) 1-0 in the gold-medal match, with York scoring the decisive goal in the 58th minute.

With the Panthers鈥� journey from going winless (0-4) in their national debut last year to standing on the podium this year, the progress speaks volumes about the program鈥檚 growth. The team knew what to expect this time around, and they were ready.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Lacey MacLauchlan, 17吃瓜 field hockey head coach, said the result shows that the 17吃瓜 Field Hockey Panthers can compete with the best in the country, and it signals a bright future for the sport on the Island.

鈥淭o compete and win the bronze medal at home,鈥� she said in the interview, 鈥渋t鈥檚 a testament to the potential of field hockey and the potential of our athletes in PEI.鈥�

Congratulations, Panthers!