Gryphons look to retain champion status in clash with Gaels
BURLINGTON, Ont. – The championship bout is set, as the defending champion Guelph Gryphons will welcome the Queen’s Gaels to Varsity Field (Saturday, October 21 at 1:00 pm) with a provincial title on the line.
The two nationally-ranked squads are set to go head-to-head in what should be a dynamic encore to their first meeting in September, and if this initial tilt is any indication of what is in store for Saturday’s championship, fans are in store for an exhilarating match. Tied at 31-all heading into the opening game’s 80th minute, it was 3rd year centre Alexandra Everett who broke through for the game-winning try to seal a 38-31 victory for Guelph. It was truly a battle that was fought well into the final moments of the game, so fans will be treated to a sense of poetic justice that these combatants remain the last two teams standing to close out the 2017 campaign.
When it comes to stepping onto the province’s biggest stage, the Gryphons are no strangers, as their track record speaks for itself. Guelph has medaled in an astounding 23 straight OUA seasons (24 after Saturday’s match), which also includes a collection of six titles in the last eight years. Within that eight year span, however, one of the two defeats came at the hands of their 2017 opponent, as the Gaels took down the Gryphons in 2013 to earn their first and only OUA Women’s Rugby title. So while the history books may sway in the Gryphons’ direction, the play on the pitch should be as tightly-contested as it gets.
To maintain their elite level of play, the Gryphons turned to the likes of Everett, Madison Brattan, Andi Lakatos, and Julia Schell. This veteran presence – led predominantly by national team member and reigning Shiels Division MVP Schell – helped set the tone for the Gryphons en route to their undefeated regular season. These four wins came by a combined 214-60 margin, including momentum-building victories in the aforementioned opener against Queen’s and their highly-anticipated rematch against McMaster (35-19).
Guelph translated this unparalleled regular season success into yet another convincing win in their semifinal match. With a focus on adding new wrinkles into their offensive outlook, the team was able to add a level of unpredictability in their play, which paid immediate dividends in the 55-0 shutout over the York Lions to set up their clash with Queen’s.
One of the biggest reasons that the No. 2 ranked Gryphons were able to achieve such great success on offence was the play of Emmanuela Jada. The International Development student, who had been dealing with a shoulder injury she suffered while playing with the Olympic 7s program, made an immediate impact in her first start of the season. Even playing at a new position – outside centre – Jada proved to be the best player on the pitch with a trio of tries on the day; something the OUA Female Athlete of the Week will be looking to repeat this weekend.
Despite hitting repeat in last year’s championship – wherein the Gryphons were able to bounce back from their 2015 defeat at the hands of the McMaster Marauders with a retaliatory 24-7 win –there will be no three-peat performance in 2017. Queen’s was able to oust the 2015 champs last weekend at Ron Joyce Stadium to instead treat fans to a repeat of the 2013 title game.
To secure their 20-15 win over Mac, the Gaels relied heavily on 3rd year standout Nadia Popov. The Newmarket, Ont. native accounted for half of the team’s offensive output against the No. 7 ranked Marauders, scoring two key tries to help send the Kingston school to the championship. A 2016 USPORTS All-Canadian, Popov will remain a key element of the Queen’s offence heading into the finals, and will look to keep up her electric post-season pace, wherein the fullback has tallied four tries and five conversions during the team’s playoff run thus far.
Despite the veteran presence from Popov, who also serves as a #OneTeam ambassador for the Canadian Olympic Team and earned a gold medal at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Game Rugby 7s, the Gaels will also be relying on some fresh faces – both on the field and on the sidelines. It has been a grand entrance onto the university scene for Sophie de Goede, who has gotten her athletic career off to a sizzling start. The two-sport star (de Goede will also play basketball for Queen’s) led the Gaels in scoring this season, collecting eight tries and 10 conversions heading into the final game, and will need to keep her scoring touch intact against their toughest opponent yet.
Also making a triumphant start in his Queen’s career is first year coach Dan Valley, who has helped lead the Gaels to a No. 8 national ranking. The Gaels, despite losing their opener to the defending champions, collected a pair of convincing wins over Western (57-12) and York (31-12) to help set the tone for their season. Another tough tilt against the 2016-finalist Marauders brought the Gaels’ record back to .500 for the regular season, but that has not hindered their playoff push.
The tri-colour put their foot down in their quarterfinal match against Trent, led by de Goede’s four tries (helping to earn her OUA Female Athlete of the Week honours). The 109 point output was the highest offensive mark in the school’s history, which helped pave the way for their more closely contested win over powerhouse McMaster, avenging their loss just two weeks prior.
Both teams are coming into Saturday’s final playing at the top of their game and will each look to put that momentum to use when they converge on the University of Guelph’s Varsity Field. The Gaels and Gryphons both have the ability to score in many ways, not the least of which is their team speed. The quickness and agility of both squads was put on display in their march to the championship, along with an impressive defensive ability to boot, which truly suggests that it’s anyone’s game entering the gold medal tilt.
Thanks to the victories in their respective semifinal matches, meanwhile, the Queen’s Gaels and Guelph Gryphons have also assured their spot in the National Championship, hosted this year by the Lethbridge Pronghorns.
Ahead of the championship match, the bronze medal will also be on the line between the McMaster Marauders and York Lions. The two teams met to open their respective seasons early in September, with the Marauders topping the Lions 50-26. McMaster will look to complete the same feat and use their championship-level experience to earn an OUA bronze, while York, after making it to their first ever OUA semifinal, will look to bounce back from their loss to Queen’s to capture their first OUA Women’s Rugby medal. The match will take place at Ron Joyce Stadium on Friday, October 20 at 7:00pm.
To learn more about the event, check out the 2017 Women's Rugby Championship Fan Guide.