Banner Season: Warriors win first OUA Field Hockey title in 21 years
Toronto (via Toronto Varsity Blues) – The Waterloo Warriors defeated the Guelph Gryphons 2-0 to claim the 2024 OUA Field Hockey Championship on Sunday, October 27 at Back Campus Fields.
The Warriors, who took down the host University of Toronto Varsity Blues 1-0 on Saturday, win their first OUA title since 2003.
The York Lions bested the Blues 2-1 in a shootout to claim the bronze medal.
Gold Medal Game: Waterloo 2, Guelph 0 (Box Score)
The Waterloo Warriors upset the Guelph Gryphons with a 2-0 win in the 2024 OUA Gold-Medal game to claim the 2024 OUA Field Hockey Championship.
A scoreless first half saw Waterloo with eight penalty corner opportunities and two shots, but Guelph's defensive play limited any potential offensive impact, keeping zeros on the scoreboard. The Gryphons recorded four shots in the half, but Waterloo's Marielle Fernback stopped all three shots she faced to keep the game even.
With just over a minute to play in the third quarter, Mary Lencz opened the scoring for Waterloo by jamming home a rebound off of a penalty corner, converting on the Warriors first shot on goal of the game.
The Warriors doubled their lead less than a minute into the fourth quarter when Isabella Beck potted the insurance marker off of a scramble in front of the net that ensued following a penalty corner, with Sarah Schnarr drawing the assist.
Guelph battled back in the final moments of the game, but Waterloo prevented any comeback with strong defensive play to clinch the championship.
Waterloo claims their first OUA title since 2003 and third since 1971.
Bronze Medal Game: York 2, Toronto 1 (Shootout) (Box Score)
The York Lions defeated the University of Toronto Varsity Blues 2-1 in the OUA Championship Bronze-Medal game, their third consecutive year with a medal.
The Blues opened the scoring just four minutes into the game when captain McKinley Kennedy scored on a rebound off of a penalty corner, giving the first-place Blues an early lead. The Blues kept up the pressure with four penalty corners in the opening quarter, but the Lions held strong to keep it a one-goal game.
Toronto and York played a back-and-forth contest for the next two quarters, with neither team able to break through offensively. At the end of the third quarter, York had five shots to Toronto's three, and the Lions had two penalty corner opportunities in addition to the four by the Blues.
The Lions evened the score when Kathryn Carlow received a pass with space in front of the Toronto net in the aftermath of an unsuccessful penalty corner and fired a shot into the top corner to tie the game with just under fourteen minutes to play.
Carlow's marker would hold as regulation time came to a close, making way for a shootout to decide the winner of the bronze medal. Tessa Wang, Carlow, and Abby Thompson were all successful on their attempts for the Lions, and the goaltending of Jade Lew led to the Blues trio of Maggie Mullins, Kirsten D'Silva, and Molly Koop all being turned aside, giving the Lions the bronze medal after just three rounds of the shootout.
York wins their first bronze since 2007, and this marks their third consecutive season with a medal.
Saturday, October 26
Semifinal 1: Guelph 2, York 1 (Shootout)
Semifinal 2: Waterloo 1, Toronto 0
Sunday, October 27
Bronze Medal Game: York 2, Toronto 1 (Shootout)
Gold Medal Game: Waterloo 2, Guelph 0