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HSBC 2025 SVNS Vancouver Day 3 – Recap & Photos
Fans at BC Place witnessed two electrifying and hard-fought men’s semi-finals. In the first matchup, Argentina narrowly defeated Spain in a tense battle, with Marcos Moneta scoring the game’s only try in the ninth minute. Spain, reduced to six players, struggled to recover, allowing Argentina to secure their place in Sunday’s final.
South Africa clinched their spot in the final after a thrilling contest against Fiji, packed with non-stop action. Fiji looked to have sealed the victory with a full-length team effort grounded by Jeremaia Matana. However, despite being a player down, the Blitzboks staged a dramatic comeback with a last-minute try from Selvyn Davids, earning them a place in the final showdown against Argentina.
Having reached numerous finals before, Argentina and South Africa took to the field for their last duel of the tournament, with referee Tevita Rokovereni officiating his first final. Argentina started strong, with Luciano Gonzalez scoring twice in quick succession and Tobias Wade adding a third try. Though South Africa responded with two tries of their own, it wasn’t enough to turn the tide. Argentina held their defensive line, securing their second consecutive gold of the Series and their fourth overall in Vancouver.
Winning Captain Santiago Mare shared his thoughts after the celebrations: “We are very happy and really proud of the team for all the effort they put in. To be here, to be in a position to be in another final and win in a very tough game again against a great rival like South Africa, we are very happy and very proud.”
“We did the small things well, we have a very good defence and that was what we did well on the field and it was our difference. Our pressure and our patience showed we trusted in our system.”
Read the Day 3 Women’s Report.
The women’s semi-finals delivered unforgettable moments, including Japan’s historic first-ever Cup semi-final appearance against Fiji. Though they couldn’t advance further, the Sakura Sevens put up a brave fight against the dominant Fijians, who scored four tries to book their third Cup final spot.
Meanwhile, the Black Ferns Sevens and Australia faced off once again, with New Zealand emerging victorious in a six-try spectacle. Stacey Waaka’s hat trick helped secure their fourth consecutive final appearance in this Series and their 50th overall.
The grand finale saw Fiji take on New Zealand, marking their first-ever encounter in a Cup final on the SVNS Series. Chasing their first win against the Black Ferns Sevens—who have never lost at BC Place—Fiji faced a formidable challenge.
New Zealand wasted no time, as Risi Pouri-Lane scored the opening try in the first minute. By halftime, the Olympic Champions had surged ahead 22-0. Fiji responded in the eleventh minute with a try from Sesenieli Donu, but New Zealand maintained their dominance, closing out the match 41-7 and claiming their 39th title.
New Zealand’s Captain Sarah Hirini reflected on their achievement: “It’s amazing, we love coming here, we love the Canadian people and we’re really proud to get another win here.
“We played well as a team, we were pushed in some games but I think we just stuck to what we know and stuck to our plan. I’m just really proud of the efforts of the girls.”
Elsewhere, Spain’s men secured their second consecutive bronze medal in the Series with a 22-7 victory over Fiji, while Australia’s women ended Japan’s historic run with a 26-12 triumph.
BC Place kept the energy alive throughout the weekend. Though Canada couldn’t claim the title, they ended on a high note with a victory over the USA, backed by the roar of the home crowd. Reflecting on the weekend, Canada’s Olivia Apps shared: “It was a really fun weekend. We were disappointed we couldn’t get the result that we wanted but I think that that last game showcased a lot of this group’s talent and really what we’re capable of.
“We’re looking forward to building to Hong Kong and Singapore and we really hope we can come back and win Vancouver next year!”
Check out our favourite photos of the day below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer
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PWHL Vancouver Goldeneyes Strike Early, Beat New York Sirens 5–2 at Home
The Vancouver Goldeneyes leaned on a fast start and some fresh faces to take down the New York Sirens 5–2 on Wednesday night at Pacific Coliseum, pulling themselves back into the playoff picture in the process.
Vancouver came out flying, getting goals from Anna Shokhina and Anna Segedi, both their first with the team, inside the opening seven minutes. Shokhina opened the scoring on a late power play, weaving through traffic and finishing unassisted, while Segedi followed soon after by converting a clean setup from Michelle Karvinen behind the net. It marked a rare early surge for a team that has struggled to generate first-period offence this season.
New York responded quickly, with Sarah Fillier tipping in a point shot just over a minute later to cut the lead in half. The push didn’t last long. Sophie Jaques stepped into a slapshot from the blue line late in the period to restore Vancouver’s two-goal cushion, and that goal stood as the difference.
The Sirens found their footing in the second period and made things interesting. Rookie Anna Bargman redirected a point shot midway through the frame to bring New York back within one. Vancouver bent but didn’t break, with Kristen Campbell holding steady in net during a stretch where the Sirens controlled more of the play.
Any momentum New York built faded early in the third. Tereza Vanišová extended the lead to 4–2 after a shot bounced in off Kayle Osborne’s blocker, taking the edge off the comeback attempt. Mannon McMahon added an empty-netter in the final seconds to cap off the night and secure her first point in several games.
Campbell finished with 22 saves for Vancouver, continuing her solid play at home, while Osborne turned aside 24 shots for New York. Vancouver also snapped a lengthy power-play drought with Shokhina’s opener and saw production come from all four lines, a promising sign for a team that has been searching for consistency.
The win moves the Goldeneyes within three points of the sixth-place Sirens, tightening the race as the regular season winds down. Vancouver now heads into the final game of its homestand with some needed momentum, while New York, now on a four-game road skid, is left looking for answers after another slow start.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
PWHL VANCOUVER GOLDENEYES vs NEW YORK SIRENS
All Photo Credit: Jill Meagher
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PWHL Boston Fleet Return Home but Fall Short in 2-0 Loss to Toronto Sceptres
Coming off of an incredible comeback win against Montreal, the Boston Fleet finally returned home and battled it out with the Toronto Sceptres in front of a sold out crowd at Agganis Arena. Fans showed out in a sea of green in honor of St. Patrick’s Day hoping for another Fleet win back at home but their home win streak would be snapped by Toronto, shutting out Boston 2-0.
This was Boston’s first home game in 48 days, since coming back from the Olympics. All of the Fleet’s Olympians were honored in a pregame ceremony highlighting their time in Milan. Team Team USA standouts Megan Keller, Haley Winn and Aerin Frankel, who had big roles in earning gold in Italy. Teammates Alina Müller (Switzerland) winning bronze, Daniela Pejšová (Czechia), Susanna Tapani (Finland) and Laura Kluge (Germany) were also recognized. There was a ceremonial puck drop as well featuring Haley Winn’s three brothers all decked out in USA onesies.
Energy was high throughout the entire game but in the end it simply wasn’t enough for Boston to grab 3 points at home. In fact this was their first loss at home all season, which is pretty impressive. It was a very hard fought game from both teams and for the most part was very tight almost until the final buzzer.
The first two periods saw a few penalties for both teams and both penalty kills were stellar. Both Frankel and Kirk in net were locked in and made some incredible saves to keep the game scoreless. Tensions rose throughout the game which saw some scrums in front of both nets as the teams fought to put the puck into the net, but defence was on another level this game.
Boston would then receive a pair of power plays but came up empty on both tries before heading right back to the penalty kill with 7:51 left in the second. Shay Maloney would make another shorthanded breakaway attempt but it was quickly challenged by Kirk, who was standing on her head all night, making some incredible saves. Going scoreless into the third there was talk of this game potentially going into overtime.
There wasn’t a goal scored by either team until around ten minutes left in the third period, when Toronto’s Daryl Watts made a swift move side to side to beat Frankel through the five-hole, to give Toronto a 1-0 lead. Boston would battle it out until the very end, having multiple scoring chances but just coming up short in the end. Toronto’s Turnbull put the finishing touches on the win with 26 seconds left with an empty net goal, to make it 2-0. Toronto’s Raygan Kirk would record her 2nd shutout in a row in a dominant win.
The Fleet still sit at the top of the PWHL standings while the Sceptres sit at 5th but with this win are now in a playoff spot. The Fleet will play the Seattle Torrent on Saturday at home at 4pm and then against Vancouver on Tuesday at 7pm.
You can find more info on the fleet on their socials // Website // Instagram // Facebook // X //
Check out our favorite photos of the game below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
PWHL BOSTON FLEET vs TORONTO SCEPTRES
All Photo Credit: Erin Crowley