LAURIER GOLDEN HAWKS WIN SIXTH OUA LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP
LONDON, Ont. - The Laurier Golden Hawks won their sixth OUA championship in seven seasons with a 7-5 win over the Western Mustangs at City Wide Fields in London on Saturday night.
Golden Hawks goalkeeper Hanna Burnett, named the OUA's most outstanding goalie, and Mustangs goalkeeper Cait Mancuso, the rookie of the year, stole the show on Saturday night as they traded saves back and forth and frustrated shooters at both ends.
In the end, Burnett's squad came out on top thanks to four goals in a six-and-a-half minute span in the second half including two in transition. Burnett made two point blank saves on Mustangs snipers Nicole Pullen and Lauren Crape in the second half as Western struggled to connect on scoring chances.
Western trailed 7-4 with 10 minutes remaining and undisciplined Hawks' play gave Western a chance to climb back into the game. Emmi Morris scored to make it 7-5 with just over two minutes left but Burnett and the Golden Hawks defence shut the door.
Megan Austriaco led Laurier with two goals and one assist, while singles came from Amanda Groothuis, Ashley Rutz, Allie Brogan, Jory Gabrialdi and Sarah Stanley scored on each. Emma Pink added an assist.
Emmi Morris led Western with two goals and an assist, while Pullen also tallied twice. Kristen Stafford scored the other Western goal.
Laurier, which will only lose two starters to graduation, won all three meetings between the teams. The first two were one-goal victories leading up to the championship weekend.
Burnett gave full credit to her defence.
"That was the best half we've played all year," the junior goalkeeper said. "The defence, they just talked to each other and we communicated very well. It made my job easier."
And Burnett's great goalkeeping did not stop at making saves, she was a key part of Laurier's successful transition game which scored five of the seven Hawks' goals. Burnett was accurate with breakout passing to find open players.
The transition game and ability to score quickly off loose balls won on face-offs and off turnovers was a key to the Hawks win, according to OUA coach of the year Lynn Orth.
She said she was really pleased with her team's play, especially with Burnett's MVP performance.
"Our goaltending was stellar. in that last five minutes especially when we were down players with (penalty) cards," Orth said. "All season our goals against has been the best in the league. Our defence and our goaltending has been great. We gave up very few settled goals all year, and tonight as well."
Mancuso stole the show early with four early saves, but Burnett answered and made three dazzling stops of her own in a scoreless opening six minutes.
Laurier's Gabrialdi opened the score, but the Mustangs took a 2-1 lead in the opening half with Pullen, off a free possession, and Morris scoring two minutes apart with bounce-shots.
The turning point may have come when Burnett stopped Pullen a minute later to keep the score at 2-1.
It gave Laurier life.After Ali Childs was forced to leave the game with injury for Western, Austriaco scored right away, beating Mancuso in transition after the whistle to restart play with 10 minutes left in the half, to tie the game at 2-2.
Rutz hit the crossbar a minute later, but then the teams settled down and played great defensive ball to close out the half.
Strong Western defence - they executed the slide to perfection and gave Mancuso good looks on Laurier shots - gave way to transition opportunities for Western but Crape was stopped twice and Robinson once, after joining the rush from defence.
The teams entered halftime tied 2-2.
Rutz scored just over three minutes into the second half but Stafford replied 40 seconds later to even the score at 3-3.
Burnett robbed Pullen again off a penalty shot, and then Natasha Robertson of Laurier was stopped by Mancuso as the teams went back and forth.
While Western controlled the possession for the final 20 minutes, it was Laurier that won the battle in the second half.
Stanley scored a fantastic fastbreak goal and then Austriaco scored her second of the game, beating two Mustangs defenders and getting off a great shot to give Laurier a two-goal cushion.
Pullen, going top corner, brought Western within one goal at 5-4, but Brogan, open when Austriaco drew the double-team and dished it for an open shot, and Groothuis scored twice in two and a half minutes to extend Laurier's lead to 7-4.
Morris tallied the final goal of the game but Western ran out of time.
"We had our chances but Hanna (Burnett) made some great saves for them," said Mustangs head coach Dave Hastings, now in his third season. "And Cait Mancuso played very well for us too. It's disappointing but we simply did not score when we needed to."
Major Awards and OUA All-Stars fro OUA Women's Lacrosse Championships
Harrow Sports Most Outstanding Player: Hanna Burnett, Goalie, Laurier Golden Hawks
T Litzen Most Outstanding Rookie: Caitlin Mancuso, Goalie, Western Mustangs
Coach of the Year: Lynn Orth, Laurier Golden Hawks
OUA All-Stars
G - Hanna Burnett, Laurier
D - Kalyn Bolland, Queen's
D - Laura Robinson, Western
D - Emma Pink, Laurier
M - Tori Wasson, Toronto
M - Jade Sullivan, Guelph
M - Amanda Groothuis, Laurier
M - Ashley Rutz, Laurier
M - Nicole Pullen, Western
M - Gwenyth Ross, Queen's
A - Emily Uza, UOIT
A - Julia Dawkins, McMaster
OUA Women's Lacrosse Championships
(At City Wide Fields, London, Ont.)
Oct. 30
Championship
Laurier 7 Western 5
Bronze Medal Game
Queen's 12 Toronto 8
Consolation Final
Guelph 4 McMaster 3
Consolation Semifinal
Guelph 10 UOIT 6
Oct. 29
Semifinals
Laurier 12 Toronto 11
Western 10 Queen's 6
Quarter-Finals
Western 18 UOIT 6
Queen's 15 McMaster 3
Toronto 10 Guelph 6
(NOTE: Laurier received first-round quarter-final bye to semifinals)
Source: Mustangs Athletics