THREE TEAMS LOOK TO END LAURIER'S CHAMPIONSHIP REIGN IN LACROSSE
October 30, 2009
HAMILTON, Ont. - It would be wrong to say the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) lacrosse season is winding down this weekend at Ron Joyce Stadium in Hamilton, Ont. With the playoffs starting and finishing over the course of two days, the season is just hitting its peak, as the final four face off in a flurry of weekend playoff action.
The No. 4-seeded Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (7-5-0) will attempt to overcome the No. 1 Toronto Varsity Blues (12-0-0) this weekend in this first of two semifinal matches.
On Saturday afternoon, the undefeated Blues will look to end the championship reign of the Hawks and make their first OUA final appearance since the 2002 season, when they last won the championship. Having won all 12 games this season, the Blues are in fine form to reclaim the glory monopolized by Laurier for six straight seasons, but they have get past the Hawks first.
But the Blues are undefeated for a reason. After a couple of years of adjusting to a wave of new recruits, the team is now championship calibre. With the top three OUA scorers wearing Toronto colours, it's not hard to see why this team is unbeaten.
Veteran attacker Jen Held (Brampton, Ont.) is the top scorer in OUA this season with 29 goals and 34 assists for 63 points. Fellow attackers Yoko Murphy (Toronto) and Taryn Grieder (Cobourg, Ont.) both finished the regular season with 53 points (Murphy with 46 goals and seven assists; Grieder with 35 goals and 18 assists). The total goals scored by all three players accounts for 64 per cent of the team's total offence.
Offence is obviously Toronto's strongest asset, and Laurier's defence will need to shut down all three star players. Considering the Hawks have fewer goals for (172-119) and more goals against (96-85) than the Blues, it won't be an easy challenge.
At the very least, Laurier can rely on third-year player Braedyn O'Rahilly (Whitby, Ont.) to net a few goals for them. O'Rahilly was among the league-leaders in points, behind Toronto's trio of players, with 17 goals and 35 assists for 52 points.
Also supporting the Hawks' offence is Laura Juha (Mississauga, Ont.), who has added to the team's 119 goals with 18 of her own.
Regardless of history, both teams will be playing for keeps, as Laurier looks to keep its championship title and Toronto looks to keep its undefeated status through to the end, but only one of the two former championship teams will advance to the OUA final on Sunday.
In the weekend's second semifinal match, the No. 3-seeded Queen's Gaels will look to defeat the second-place Western Mustangs.
This could prove to be a close game for both teams, as they have nearly identical records (Queen's is 8-4-0; Western is 9-3-0), but the Gaels know first hand the key to Western's success.
These teams met twice in the regular season, with Western getting one in the win column both times, and not by much (13-9 on Sept. 19; 8-7 on Oct. 24), but Queen's definitely has the offensive power they need to get on the scoreboard.
Attacker Jacqueline Byers (Mississauga, Ont.) and midfielder Lisa McLaughlin (Whitby, Ont.) are both in the Top 10 in scoring; Byers has 28 goals and 16 assists on the season for 44 points and McLaughlin has 24 goals and 13 assists for 37 points. In addition to those two, Martha Ross (Newton, Mass.) has also displayed a scoring touch in her fourth year with Queen's, scoring 26 goals and attacker Marsha Cryderman (Bowmanville, Ont.) has notched 18.
With so many stellar offensive players, it's no surprise that Queen's ended the regular season with 165 total goals.
Fifth-year Mustang Lindsay Doxtator (Southwold, Ont.) is the team leader for Western with 21 goals and 16 assists, and just a few points behind her sit two teammates, Nicole Pullen (Westside, Ont.) and Emmi Morris (Brampton, Ont.), who both have 34 points each.
But, as the saying goes, offence wins games and defence wins championships. So while Western and Queen's are relatively on par in the way of scoring, what separates these teams is their defensive numbers.
When it comes to protecting the house, Western has Queen's beat by a long shot. The Mustangs have allowed just 84 goals in 12 games, while Queen's has let 114 goals speed past, helping Western to their No. 2 spot in the league.
Queen's has been the bridesmaid in OUA the past four seasons, advancing to the final only to have their season ended in defeat by Laurier.
Toronto, Laurier, Queen's and Western will be looking to capitalize on their own strengths and their opponent's weaknesses when they take to the field on Saturday for the first round of OUA finals. With so much riding on one game, they'll all be playing at full capacity as they know their efforts on Saturday will determine who will advance to the championship game on Sunday.
2009 OUA LACROSSE SCHEDULE
Semifinals
Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009
12:00 p.m. Laurier (4) vs. Toronto (1)
2:00 p.m. Queen's (3) vs. Western (2)
Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009
12:00 p.m. OUA Bronze Medal (Semifinal Losers)
2:00 p.m. OUA Final (Semifinal Winners)
ABOUT ONTARIO UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and its 19 member institutions are developing Champions For Life. Giving 9,000 student-athletes the opportunity to excel academically and on the playing field, while preparing for life after university. For more information, visit OUA.ca.
The No. 4-seeded Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (7-5-0) will attempt to overcome the No. 1 Toronto Varsity Blues (12-0-0) this weekend in this first of two semifinal matches.
On Saturday afternoon, the undefeated Blues will look to end the championship reign of the Hawks and make their first OUA final appearance since the 2002 season, when they last won the championship. Having won all 12 games this season, the Blues are in fine form to reclaim the glory monopolized by Laurier for six straight seasons, but they have get past the Hawks first.
But the Blues are undefeated for a reason. After a couple of years of adjusting to a wave of new recruits, the team is now championship calibre. With the top three OUA scorers wearing Toronto colours, it's not hard to see why this team is unbeaten.
Veteran attacker Jen Held (Brampton, Ont.) is the top scorer in OUA this season with 29 goals and 34 assists for 63 points. Fellow attackers Yoko Murphy (Toronto) and Taryn Grieder (Cobourg, Ont.) both finished the regular season with 53 points (Murphy with 46 goals and seven assists; Grieder with 35 goals and 18 assists). The total goals scored by all three players accounts for 64 per cent of the team's total offence.
Offence is obviously Toronto's strongest asset, and Laurier's defence will need to shut down all three star players. Considering the Hawks have fewer goals for (172-119) and more goals against (96-85) than the Blues, it won't be an easy challenge.
At the very least, Laurier can rely on third-year player Braedyn O'Rahilly (Whitby, Ont.) to net a few goals for them. O'Rahilly was among the league-leaders in points, behind Toronto's trio of players, with 17 goals and 35 assists for 52 points.
Also supporting the Hawks' offence is Laura Juha (Mississauga, Ont.), who has added to the team's 119 goals with 18 of her own.
Regardless of history, both teams will be playing for keeps, as Laurier looks to keep its championship title and Toronto looks to keep its undefeated status through to the end, but only one of the two former championship teams will advance to the OUA final on Sunday.
In the weekend's second semifinal match, the No. 3-seeded Queen's Gaels will look to defeat the second-place Western Mustangs.
This could prove to be a close game for both teams, as they have nearly identical records (Queen's is 8-4-0; Western is 9-3-0), but the Gaels know first hand the key to Western's success.
These teams met twice in the regular season, with Western getting one in the win column both times, and not by much (13-9 on Sept. 19; 8-7 on Oct. 24), but Queen's definitely has the offensive power they need to get on the scoreboard.
Attacker Jacqueline Byers (Mississauga, Ont.) and midfielder Lisa McLaughlin (Whitby, Ont.) are both in the Top 10 in scoring; Byers has 28 goals and 16 assists on the season for 44 points and McLaughlin has 24 goals and 13 assists for 37 points. In addition to those two, Martha Ross (Newton, Mass.) has also displayed a scoring touch in her fourth year with Queen's, scoring 26 goals and attacker Marsha Cryderman (Bowmanville, Ont.) has notched 18.
With so many stellar offensive players, it's no surprise that Queen's ended the regular season with 165 total goals.
Fifth-year Mustang Lindsay Doxtator (Southwold, Ont.) is the team leader for Western with 21 goals and 16 assists, and just a few points behind her sit two teammates, Nicole Pullen (Westside, Ont.) and Emmi Morris (Brampton, Ont.), who both have 34 points each.
But, as the saying goes, offence wins games and defence wins championships. So while Western and Queen's are relatively on par in the way of scoring, what separates these teams is their defensive numbers.
When it comes to protecting the house, Western has Queen's beat by a long shot. The Mustangs have allowed just 84 goals in 12 games, while Queen's has let 114 goals speed past, helping Western to their No. 2 spot in the league.
Queen's has been the bridesmaid in OUA the past four seasons, advancing to the final only to have their season ended in defeat by Laurier.
Toronto, Laurier, Queen's and Western will be looking to capitalize on their own strengths and their opponent's weaknesses when they take to the field on Saturday for the first round of OUA finals. With so much riding on one game, they'll all be playing at full capacity as they know their efforts on Saturday will determine who will advance to the championship game on Sunday.
2009 OUA LACROSSE SCHEDULE
Semifinals
Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009
12:00 p.m. Laurier (4) vs. Toronto (1)
2:00 p.m. Queen's (3) vs. Western (2)
Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009
12:00 p.m. OUA Bronze Medal (Semifinal Losers)
2:00 p.m. OUA Final (Semifinal Winners)
– OUA –
ABOUT ONTARIO UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and its 19 member institutions are developing Champions For Life. Giving 9,000 student-athletes the opportunity to excel academically and on the playing field, while preparing for life after university. For more information, visit OUA.ca.