OSHAWA, Ont. – Day one of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) women's field lacrosse championship is in the books with Brock, Toronto, Western and UOIT advancing to the semifinals. The three-day championship is taking place at the Oshawa Civic Recreation Complex hosted by the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), with action on Saturday set to begin at 9 a.m.


GAME RECAPS

Game 1 - Trent Excalibur def. McMaster Marauders 10-9
Players of the Game: Leah Ogilvie (Trent) & Sarah Langdon (McMaster)


The opening game of the championship was a thriller with the Trent Excalibur edging out the McMaster Marauders by a score of 10-9. With the teams tied at nine goals apiece, Donna Ward scored for Trent with only ten seconds remaining to send the Excalibur through to the quarter-finals.

Ward finished the game with four goals and an assist while teammate Leah Ogilvie led all scorers with five goals.
 
Trent shot out of the gates with a 4-0 lead, but McMaster was relentless throughout the match as they fought back to take a 7-6 lead of their own with 20 minutes remaining in the second half. Taylor Topo had a natural hat-trick during a six minute span to get McMaster back in the contest while Laura King and Cleo Duffy each had a pair of goals in the final half hour of play. 
 

Game 2 - Guelph Gryphons def. York Lions 18-1
Players of the Game: Laurel McGillis (Guelph) & Taylor Remez (York)
 
The three-time defending silver medalist Guelph Gryphons dominated their opening game against the York Lions winning by a score of 18-1. The Gryphons held a 13-0 lead before York would score their lone goal, with Victoria Post finding the back of the net for the Lions nine minutes into the second half.
 
Leading the way for the Gryphons was Taylor Kidd who netted four goals and an assist. Laurel McGillis, who was named player of the game, recorded four goals. Katelyn Cartwright did a great job of making plays, as she assisted on seven Guelph goals.
 
 
Game 3 - Brock Badgers def. Queen's Gaels 9-8
Players of the Game: Breanne Gillie (Brock) & Charlotte Ross (Queen's)
 
Leading 8-3 at halftime, it looked as if the Brock Badgers were going to cruise to a victory in their quarter-final match against Queen's. The Gaels had different thoughts, as they would narrow the gap to just one goal. Fortunately for Brock, Breanne Gillie's lone goal in the second half was enough to lift the Badgers to a 9-8 victory and punch their ticket to the semifinals.
 
Brock's offence was led by Kassidy Doherty, who recorded a hat-trick while Gillie and Kendra Byers score two goals a piece.

Queen's comeback attempt was a total-team effort as all five goals in the second half were scored by different players. Carly Rodgers was outstanding in goal for Queen's in the second half, limiting Brock to just one goal.
 
 
Game 4 - UOIT Ridgebacks def. Laurier Golden Hawks 11-9
Players of the Game: Taylor Landry (UOIT) & Maddy Curtis (Laurier)
 
The UOIT Ridgebacks advanced to the semifinals for the first time in program history with an 11-9 win over the Laurier Golden Hawks. Trailing 8-6 with ten minutes remaining, Taylor Landry took control of the game and scored three-straight goals to give the Ridgebacks a 9-8 lead. After Laurier's Torey Barfoot scored her fourth goal to knot up the score at 9-9, Landry would close the game out with two more goals, sending UOIT to the final four.

Landry would score a game-high seven goals in the win while Barfoot finished with four for Laurier. Kristen Bright and Taylor Milburn each scored two goals for UOIT.
 
UOIT goaltender Jenn Daly played a key role in the Ridgebacks comeback as she held Laurier scoreless for a 14-minute span during the second half.
 
 
Game 5 - Western Mustangs def. Trent Excalibur 20-5
Players of the Game: Tenyka Snider (Western) & Meg Bethune (Trent)
 
Western continued their dominance at the OUA Championship as they defeated the Trent Excalibur 20-5 to book a spot in the semifinals. Tenyka Snider would open up scoring just 30 seconds into the contest, setting the tone for the remainder of the game.
 
Western took an 11-2 lead into halftime, with seven different players scoring goals. The three-time defending champions would never look back as they netted nine more goals in the second half to make it an even 20-goal tally.
 
Snider would lead the Mustangs charge with four goals. Trent's Donna Ward recorded a hat-trick in the losing effort.
 
 
Game 6 - Toronto Varsity Blues defeated Guelph Gryphons 13-3
Players of the Game: Anna Goulding (Toronto) & Taylor Kidd (Guelph)
 
In the final game of day one, the Toronto Varsity Blues put an end to Guelph's medal hopes with a convincing 13-3 victory.
 
After trading goals back and forth early in the game, the Varsity Blues would close out the first half with four straight goals to take a 6-2 lead. The number one seed in the east would carry that momentum into the final 30 minutes, as they would outscore Guelph 7-1 to pick up the ten-goal victory.
 
Toronto's offence came from three sources as Taryn Grieder and Katie McCurdy scored five goals apiece and Melissa Holland recorded the other three.
 
Anna Goulding had an outstanding game in between the pipes for Toronto allowing only three Guelph goals, as she earned player of the game honours.

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE/RESULTS
 
Friday, Oct. 31
Game 1 - Trent Excalibur def. McMaster Marauders 10-9
Game 2 - Guelph Gryphons def. York Lions 18-1
Game 3 - Brock Badgers def. Queen's Gaels 9-8
Game 4 - UOIT Ridgebacks def. Laurier Golden Hawks 11-9
Game 5 - Western Mustangs def. Trent Excalibur 20-5
Game 6 - Toronto Varsity Blues defeated Guelph Gryphons 13-3 

Saturday, Nov. 1
Game 7 - McMaster Marauders vs. York Lions - 9 a.m.
Game 8 - Laurier Golden Hawks vs. Trent Excalibur - 10:45 a.m.
Game 9 - Queen's Gaels vs. Guelph Gryphons - 12:30 p.m.
Game 10 - Semi-Final - Brock Badgers vs. Toronto Varsity Blues - 2:15 p.m.
Game 11 - Semi-Final - UOIT Ridgebacks vs. Western Mustangs - 4 p.m.
 
Sunday, Nov. 2
Game 12 - Loser of Game 8 vs. Loser of Game 9 - 9 a.m.
Game 13 - Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 9 - 10:45 a.m.
Game 14 - Bronze Medal Match - Losers of Semi-Finals - 12:30 p.m.
Game 15 - Gold Medal Match - Winners of Semi-Finals - 2 p.m.