Team amassed 221 points during win-streak
Granted, the 44-27 win the Guelph Gryphons women’s rugby team had over the McMaster Marauders doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as the 110-0 dismantling Guelph had when they travelled to Laurier last week, but despite that, the Gryphons have improved to 4-0 on the season.
Junior eighth man, Devon Keys, lead the Gryphons by scoring 10 points with a try in each half while senior Centre Shannon Spurrell added 10 of her own with two conversions and two penalty goals. Though the Gryphons ended up winning handily, the game started off sluggish for the women who were down 5-0 very early on, after Cindy Nelles of McMaster scored a try but missed the conversion. Guelph didn’t waste any time tying the game up off a Caitlin McNally try but quickly found themselves down again to 17-5 off two tries by McMaster.
The glory for the visiting team in Maroon was short lived though. Guelph managed to come back with tries from Devon Keys and Stephanie Tibelius to go up 19-17 heading into the second half.
Guelph coasted in the second half, not losing the lead once and earning tries from Samantha Pepper and Rita Charest-Pekeski, the fifth and sixth players to score that afternoon; no doubt a testament to the depth of the team.
The Gryphons are atop the Shield Division heading into their final bout of the regular season with Brock on Oct. 4, but to say they are winning is an understatement. The closest point differential in the OUA is 104 by the CIS #2 ranked Queen’s Golden Gaels who have amassed 145 points for and only 41 against. Guelph’s point differential is an astounding 175 through only four games as they have put up 221 for and a mere 46 against.
Guelph has retained their top rank in the CIS Top 10 sitting ahead of a typically strong University of Alberta team, and OUA rivals Queen’s and Western who come in at third and tenth rank overall.
Guelph looks to capture their third CIS championship in school history this year after a heartbreaking 37-0 loss to St. Francis Xavier in the 2012 final; the team they beat for a national championship in 2011.
Guelph has recently been added to a short-list of schools interested in hosting the 2014 and 2015 CIS Championships along with Alberta, who is also vying for both years, and Queen’s, who is vying to be just a 2015 host.