OUA Women's Lacrosse
Mustangs win fourth straight OUA title
 
OSHAWA, Ont. – The steak continues.
 
The Western Mustangs won their fourth straight OUA women's field lacrosse title Sunday afternoon at Terry Kelly Field at the Oshawa Civic Recreation Complex.
 
Western defeated the Brock Badgers 7-5 to also continue their winning streak, having not lost since Laurier defeated them in the 2010 OUA final.
 
"They just – they get along so well," said an emotional Dave Hastings [Western Mustangs head coach] after the game. "We have such great chemistry and they work hard, they support each other and there's no pettiness on the team. It's the chemistry and with the chemistry comes the hard work. They're wonderful to coach and they ran the game plan that we wanted today, so like I said, it's the chemistry of these girls [that has made them so successful]."
 
Brock's Kathryn Simpson opened the scoring just 52 seconds into the contest against the favoured Western Mustangs.
 
Lauren Stewart tied things up 1:16 later before Tawnie Johnson gave the Mustangs a 2-1 lead at the 5:52 mark.
 
Sarah Simpson scored the first of her two goals in the game with 20:41 left to play in the half, tying the game 2-2 before Kassidy Doherty made it 3-2 Badgers 29 seconds later.
 
Sarah Simpson pushed the lead to 4-2 with 16:25 to play in the half, but the Mustangs pushed back with goals from Tasha MacDonald and Alexa McAllister to knot the game 4-4 with 11:06 to play in the half.
 
Neither team scored again until Kathryn Simpson's tally with 11 seconds left in the opening half. Brock led 5-4 at the break.
 
"We just said not to panic and play our game," said Hastings about his team's halftime discussion. "We knew we've been in this situation before so we just asked them to tighten up defensively and keep playing hard, especially on loose balls."
 
That's exactly what they did as they shutout the Badgers in the second half.
 
Maddison Crowther tied the game for Western 1:20 into the final 30, while Johnson's second of the game at the eight-minute mark would eventually be the game-winning goal.
 
Tenyka Snider's goal with 8:29 to play gave them the insurance they needed to run down the clock.
 
"We hit three posts in the second half, so we knew if we kept coming at them we'd get into a position to hold the ball down the stretch," said Hastings. "That's how we like to play. We like to get a lead and then hold the ball. Credit to the girls, the played great."
 
Jesse Porter of the Mustangs was named the OUA top defensive player while Kendra Byers from Brock was named the OUA top graduating senior.
 
Bronze Medal Game – Toronto Varsity Blues def. UOIT Ridgebacks 9-5
 
The UOIT Ridgebacks, hosts of the OUA women's lacrosse championship, ended up on the losing end of a 9-5 final against the Toronto Varsity Blues in the bronze medal game, much to the disappointment of the hometown supporters.
 
Despite the loss, UOIT's final four finish is the top result at the championship in the five-year history of the program.
 
UOIT's Brittany Simmons scored the first goal of the game, but Toronto scored four straight off the sticks of Katie McCurdy (2), Kelly Robinson and Carly Heitzner to make it 4-1 midway through the opening half.
 
Jill Carroll cut the lead to two with her goal for UOIT, but McCurdy scored her third of the game at the 21:28 mark to make it 5-2.
 
Taylor Landry, offensive MVP for the championship, scored twice in the final three minutes for UOIT to send the team into the half trailing 5-4.
 
Toronto's Jessica Kras, McCurdy and Mary Anne Meerasabeer all scored to start the second half before Landry's third goal of the game at the 16:50 mark.
 
McCurdy scored her fifth of the game with just over 10 minutes to play to lift her team to a bronze medal.
 
Following the championship, UOIT coaches Amy Lance and Liane Chornobay were named the OUA coaches of the year. Landry, Taylor Milburn and Kiera Dever were honoured as OUA all-stars, joining former captain Emily Uza as the only Ridgebacks to receive that honour.
 
Fifth Place Game – Laurier Golden Hawks def. Queen's Gaels 11-10
 
Final minute heroics by Sara Hatch and Shelby O'Ryan gave Laurier a fifth place finish at this year's OUA women's lacrosse championships.
 
Trailing 10-9 with 1:32 remaining in the second half, Hatch scored with 20 seconds on the clock to tie things at 10. With just two seconds left, O'Ryan scored her sixth goal of the game to put them ahead 11-10.
 
O'Ryan scored three goals in each half, with Torey Barfoot, Hatch and Chelsea Dickinson each scoring once in the opening 30 minutes. Jacquie Chataway (2), Chelsea James, Teresa Mayo, Alexa Fenton, Lesley Hamilton and Abby Bolland all had first half goals for Queen's.
 
Chataway, Sarah Utting and Charlotte Ross scored for the Gaels in the second half, while Barfoot, O'Ryan (3) and Hatch scored for Laurier.
 
Seventh Place Game – Guelph Gryphons def. Trent Excalibur 12-10 [OT]
 
The lone game to go to overtime on Sunday was eventually won by the Guelph Gryphons with two second half overtime goals being the difference in a 12-11 final.
 
Tied 10-10 after regulation, Donna Ward scored for Trent in overtime, but Gryphon's goals by Katelynn Brzeninski and Laurel McGillis won Guelph the game in extra time.
 
McGillis led the Gryphons in scoring with four in the game, while Shannon Pringle chipped in three of her own.
 
Leah Ogilvie scored five goals in Trent's loss. Ward had a hat trick.
 
 
OUA CHAMPIONSHIP AWARDS

Offensive MVP: Taylor Landry (UOIT)
Defensive MVP: Jesse Porter (Western)
Rookie of the Year: Alexa Fenton (Queen's)
Top Graduating Senior: Kendra Byers (Brock)
Coach of the Year: Amy Lance and Liane Chornobay (UOIT)
 
OUA First-Team All-Stars
 
Attack
Michelle Farrugia (Western)
Tawnie Johnson (Western)
Leah Ogilvie (Trent)
Taryn Grieder (Toronto)
 
Midfielders
Tenyka Snider (Western)
Taylor Landry (UOIT)
Teresa Mayo (Queen's)

Defenders
Jesse Porter (Western)
Maddy Curtis (Laurier)
Kendra Byers (Brock)
Katelynn Brzezinski (Guelph)
 
Goaltender
Eyrn Matisz (Brock)
 
OUA Second-Team All-Stars
 
Attack
Breanne Gillie (Brock)
Sara Hatch (Laurier)
Torey Barfoot (Laurier)
Katie McCurdy (Toronto)
 
Midfielders
Jordan Lyons (Trent)
Shelby O'Ryan (Laurier)
Taylor Milburn (UOIT)

Defenders
Tasha Watkins (Toronto)
Shannon O'Connor (Queen's)
Sarah Simpson (Brock)
Kiera Dever (UOIT)
 
Goaltender
Anna Goulding (Toronto)