Semifinals set after first day of OUA field hockey championships

The top four seeds all advanced to the semifinals at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) field hockey championships after an exciting first day of quarter-final action at York University’s Alumni Field.

The top-seeded Lions will now take on the fourth-seeded Queen’s Gaels in the first semifinal on Saturday at 9am, while the three-time defending OUA champion Toronto Varsity Blues will face off against the rival Guelph Gryphons in the second beginning at 11am.

The host Lions defeated the eighth-seeded McMaster Marauders 4-0 in the first quarter-final of the day. Forwards Jaslan Stirling and Montana Merante each netted a pair of goals in the win.

It took a while for the Lions to get on the scoreboard, but once they did, the floodgates opened and they scored four times before the final whistle. Stirling opened the scoring in the 27^th minute, and Merante added another three minutes later for a 2-0 lead after the first half. The same two were at it again in the second half. This time it was Merante scoring first, in the 39^th minute, and Stirling rounded out the goals in the 56^th minute with a nifty redirect.

Stirling was named York’s player of the game, while Morgan Renkema earned the honour for the Marauders.

The Lions will battle for a place in the final against the Gaels, who booked a semifinal spot with an exciting 2-0 triumph over the Western Mustangs.

After an hour of scoreless play, the Gaels finally broke the deadlock in the 60^th minute on a goal off a short corner by Jessie Alexander to make it 1-0. Ten minutes later, Cassidy Grimes iced it with a goal of her own to give Queen’s the victory.

The Gaels’ and Mustangs’ players of the game were Ciara Morrison and Marielle Fernback, respectively.

In the day’s second semifinal, the Blues wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as Emily Ziraldo found the back of the net just seconds after the opening whistle. She was at it again early in the second half, notching her second goal of the game in the 39^th minute for a 2-0 lead the Blues would carry to the end.

Ziraldo merited player of the game honours for the Varsity Blues and Emilia Dunkerley was selected for the Martlets.

The most lopsided result of the day came in the final game, where the second-seeded Gryphons cruised to an 11-0 win over the Waterloo Warriors. The result was never in doubt as the Gryphons scored early and often, netting six in the opening half alone to blow the game wide open.

Kayla Magarelli led the way for the Gryphons with a hat trick, while Maria Murray and Alexa Corrado scored two goals apiece. Melissa Vogl, Alice Stubbings, Danielle Crumpton, and Olivia Finch chipped in with one goal each to round out the scoring.

Magarelli’s three goals earned her the player of the game award for the Gryphons, while Kendra Puttick was the recipient for the Warriors.

The losers from Friday’s matches will play in the consolation side of the bracket, beginning with the semifinals on Saturday. The Marauders will match up against the Mustangs at 1pm, followed by the Martlets and Warriors at 3pm. All four games on Saturday will be webcast live on OUA.tv.