The Guelph Gryphons field hockey team finished their OUA season with a silver medal. On Oct. 31, the Gryphons faced off against the University of Toronto’s Varsity Blues, who defended their title as OUA Field Hockey Champions.
Guelph got the game off to a strong start, with forward Allison Chute scoring the first goal within six minutes of play. Teammate Olivia Lane carried this momentum forward and scored Guelph’s second goal only a minute later. The Gryphons’ 3-0 lead wouldn’t last long, however, as U of T forward Lauren Sudac broke the shutout and teammate Sarah Pendreigh took Guelph’s lead down to 3-2 heading into the second half. The second half of the game showed the skill of both teams as they fought for possession. Toronto’s fifth-year forward and OUA All-Star Amanda Woodcroft scored two goals late in the half to pull the Blues from behind and take the game 4-3.
The Gryphons and the Varsity Blues have a long-standing date for the OUA Championships; in the last eleven years, these teams have faced off in the OUA finals nine times. Coming into Saturday’s match, both Guelph and Toronto had an 11-1 season record. This year’s victory marks Toronto’s fourth OUA banner in the last five seasons.
Despite Saturday’s loss, the Gryphons have secured a spot in the CIS Championships in British Columbia to compete for the McCrae Cup. The four-team tournament will take place over Nov. 5-8, and the Gryphons’ first opponents will be the UBC Thunderbirds, who were also the runners-up in their division. The Thunderbirds are daunting opponents, however, holding a record 16 McCrae Cup titles in organization history. Last year, they became the first program to win three straight CIS banners.
Earlier this week, several members of the Gryphons field hockey organization were recognized by the OUA. Head Coach Michelle Turley won Coach of the Year for the second time, the first being in 2004 during her first year as head coach. Turley led the team to an 11-1 season record in her 12th year with the Gryphons.
Team Captain Allison Chute, Erin Houle, and Moon Weijens were all recognized as OUA All-Stars for the 2015 season. Chute’s career with the Gryphons has been a successful one: this is her third time as an OUA All-Star, she was the OUA’s leading scorer this year, and she was recognized as a CIS All-Canadian last year. Chute scored 20 goals over 12 games in her fifth and final season with the Gryphons.
Houle is a three-time OUA All-Star, who will also be leaving the Gryphons after her fifth season this year. Moon Weijens is a first-year midfielder from Zelhem, Netherlands, and has impressed teammates and coaches alike in her first year in the OUA.