Banner Season: Western dethrones reigning title holders to claim championship crown
Kingston, Ont. (via Queen's Gaels) - In the final day of the OUA Lacrosse Championship, the Western Mustangs dethroned the Queen’s Gaels, taking the Patterson Cup 9-6. The Trent Excalibur walked away with bronze, defeating the Toronto Varsity Blues 15-4.
WESTERN [9] VS QUEEN’S [6] – GOLD MEDAL GAME
In an action-packed final, the Western Mustangs challenged the Queen’s Gaels for the Patterson Cup and took it, winning the match 9-6.
The Gaels opened up scoring with a point from Tara Meikle off a pick and roll. Brooke Rutledge also added a point for the Gaels early in the game. Western didn’t let these goals go unanswered and fired back with one of their own from Quinn Kolwich. They picked up another with Lexie Delisie finding the back of the net.
The next two goals belonged to the Gaels with big efforts from Charlotte Sawicki. Almost immediately after, the Mustangs picked up two more of their own.
While the Gaels lead the majority of the first three quarters, the fourth belonged to Western. Queens was unable to find the net and the Mustangs built up their momentum.
“We kept calm. We capitalized when we had possession, and the energy on the bench and on the field motivated us to keep going,” said the Mustangs’ Lexie Delisle in a post-game interview.
Western tied up the game with Reese Whiteman finding the back of the net. They pushed into the lead with Whiteman and Timmia Bomberry nabbing goals as well. The Gaels were unable to respond and, with one final goal from Kolwich, the Mustangs cinched the gold medal.
For Delisie, the win was a cumulation of a season’s worth of development.
“Throughout the season we’ve been dreaming of this and working towards it and to fulfil our goals is a great feeling. We worked hard for this, and we came out on top.”
The win marks the first OUA Women’s Lacrosse gold for Western since 2017.
TRENT [15] VS TORONTO [4] – BRONZE MEDAL GAME
The OUA Lacrosse Championship bronze medal game had the Trent Excalibur going up against the Toronto Varsity Blues. Trent secured the medal 15-4
Trent got the game going, scoring two early on off efforts from Grace Shaughnessy and Tyler McDonald. McDonald, who was named Rookie of the Year during the bronze medal ceremony, would go on to obtain a total of seven goals for the Excalibur.
Toronto accrued two goals in quick succession near the end the first quarter both from Lillian Brooks. Trent also bagged one more to leave the first half 3-2
Trent went for a run during the second quarter, nabbing five points from Natalie Fornier and McDonald. They pushed past the defense and showed dynamic passing to widen the point separation.
“We moved the ball well. We definitely were moving and cutting and our defense was on top, our goalie was on fire,” said McDonald in a post game interview.
The Excalibur dominated the third, with Toronto being unable get any points. They extended their lead aided by goals from Shaughnessy, McDonald and Jocelyn Whent.
Toronto pushed back in the fourth, with Rylin Comier obtaining her first points of the day, despite heavy Trent defensive presence. The Excalibur also found two goals during the fourth and walked away with the bronze medal win.
LAURIER [9] VS GUELPH [6] – FIFTH PLACE GAME
In the fifth-place game, the Laurier Golden Hawks took on the Guelph Gryphons and emerged victorious 9-6.
The game started with a stalemate, neither team able to pick up a goal for the entire first quarter.
Laurier’s Rayne Blasutti lit up the scoreboard 10 minutes into the second. Her teammate Delaney Keen also snuck one in soon after, adding a point for the Golden Hawks.
Not to be outdone, the Gryphons also accrued two points in the second, with goals from Megan Laroski and Karmyn Potts tying up the match.
With 30 seconds left in the first half, the Golden Hawks put up two more points, leading 4-2 heading into the second half.
Laurier’s team captain, Olivia Purcell, attributed the lead to the team’s strong communication.
“Most importantly, we played like a team. In the end everyone was passing, everything was connecting, we had our eyes up and open and just ready to put balls in the net.”
The Hawks extended on their lead in the second half with Kara Patton and Purcell finding the back of the net. Guelph fought to close with gap with Rachel McConvey going for a long run down the field, finishing it off with a goal.
In the end, Guelphs efforts were not enough to take down Laurier, with Keen putting up two more in the fourth to round out the game 9-6. Keen lead her team in points, with four goals attributed to her.
For Laurier’s Purcell the game marks the last of her OUA career and she’s happy to go our on a win.
“On the final day you just feel like you’re on the field with all your best friends and you just can’t help but smile. I think that the best win is to end it with a team like this.”
WESTERN [13] VS TORONTO [4] – SEMIFINAL 1
The Western Mustangs punched their ticket to the finals in the first game of Sunday’s playoffs, where they took on the Toronto Varsity Blues, and won 13-4.
The Blues took the first point of the game 40 seconds in with a goal from Lillian Brooks. The Mustangs responded quickly with Reese Whiteman bagging a goal of her own.
Continuing their run, Western put up five more goals, aided by efforts of Quinn Kolwich, Jamie Carr, and Jamie Attkinson. Kolwich ended the game as the point leader with five for the Mustangs.
Through out the game, the Mustangs did a good job of shutting down the Varsity Blues leading scorer Rylin Cormier, who obtained 34 goals during the regular season.
The Blues pivoted to other attackers, with Rheanna Swanson finding the back of the net at the beginning of the second quarter. Toronto put up an additional two goals in the second, from Brooks and Swanson.
These goals did little to decrease the point differential, with Western adding two more goals in the first half and five in the second.
“We really played as a team, we came together on the field and on the bench as well, supporting each other and celebrating every little win to get us really hyped for this game, and heading into finals as well,” said Western’s team captain Lexie Delisle in a post-game interview.
Heading into the finals, Western had their eyes set on a gold medal.
“We’re definitely looking for the gold. We’ve had this goal since the very start of the year, and we’ve finally been put in a good position to go and achieve that,” said Delisle.
QUEEN’S [13] VS TRENT [5] - SEMIFINAL 2
The next matchup saw the Trent Excalibur and the Queen’s Gaels vying for a spot in the championship. In the rematch of last years OUA final, the Gaels took the win 13-5.
Queen’s dominated possession through the game and picked up their first point off a goal from Kiara McKelvey. Trent fired back with goal from Natalie Fournier. They also added two more goals from Grace Shaughnessy and Jocelyn Whent in the first half.
However, the Exaliburs were unable to pull ahead; the Gaels found the back of the net six more times in the first and second quarter, maintaining a 7-3 lead heading into halftime.
“We really kept our energy high. We do a really good job of staying positive and keeping our energy high and I think when we’re having fun and bringing each other up we play so much better,” said Queen’s team captain Morgan Vickers in a post-game interview.
Their team spirit carried them through to the second half, where they continued to fire in goals from all over the fan. The Gaels shared the goals evenly with eight members racking up points.
Trent’s Fournier put two more into the net during the second half, bringing the Excalibur to five points.
With a final goal from Queen’s Summer Thomas, assisted by Kennedy Coghlin, the Gaels closed out the match and secured their spot in the finals.
Award Winners
Most Valuable Offensive Player: Abby Lee, Queen’s Gaels
Most Valuable Defensive Player: Kieran Gerow, Trent Excalibur
Rookie of the Year: Tyler McDonald, Trent Excalibur
Coach of the Year: Garrett Loubert, Western Mustangs
All-Stars
Attackers
Reese Wilkins, Western Mustangs
Rheanna Swanson, Toronto Varsity Blues
Tara Meikle, Queen’s Gaels
Mid-Fielders
Abby Lee, Queen’s Gaels
Jailyn Joensen, Ontario Tech Ridgebacks
Grace Shaughnessy, Trent Excalibur
Lexie Delisle, Western Mustangs
Kendra Orr, Ontario Tech Ridgebacks
Defenders
Kaya Maracle, Queen’s Gaels
Taya Keast, Western Mustangs
Leah Hickey, Toronto Varsity Blues
Goalie
Kieran Gerow, Trent Excalibur