Guelph, Western ready for early championship rematch on opening weekend
Guelph, Ont. – The last time the Western Mustangs and Guelph Gryphons went head-to-head on the pitch, there was an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) championship on the line. And it will take just a few days into the 2018 campaign for the two squads to renew the rivalry, offering fans a must-see OUA Marquee Matchup, powered by Planters, to start the season.
After battling to the bitter end and taking the finale all the way to penalty kicks a year ago, the Gryphons came out victorious for their first OUA women’s soccer title in program history. Playing a major part in Guelph’s ultimate 2017 success was goaltender Libby Brenneman (Baden, Ont.), stopping all three shots in penalty kicks to clinch the championship, and the OUA all-star will be back to do the same this season.
The goalkeeper, who posted seven clean sheets last season, will be joined by a number of other key returnees, including fellow all-stars Nicole Brown-Shaw (Dundas, Ont.) and Andrea Cimino (London, Ont.), along with sophomore strikers Venessa Mazur (Mississauga, Ont.) and Sydney Johnson (Guelph, Ont.), who led the team in scoring in 2017. All in all, Guelph boasts a capable lineup from the net out and will be primed to get off on the right track in both of their opening weekend fixtures.
Western, despite falling in the provincial championship, was able to make waves on the national level last year; something that will surely give the young squad a boost heading into the 2018 season. After defeating the defending champion Laval Rouge et Or in the quarterfinals, the Mustangs eventually fell to Trinity Western in the bronze medal match, but will certainly take a lot from the experience.
Similar to Guelph, the purple ponies will be turning to a strong crop of returning players to boast their championship hopes this season, led by veteran Julia Crnjac (Mississauga, Ont.). The striker tied for second in conference scoring a season ago, finding the back of the net 11 times on the year, to anchor the OUA’s third-ranked offence (notching 36 goals scored as a unit).
The OUA first-team all-star won’t be doing it alone; however, as she will be joined by fellow first-teamer 2017 rookie sensation Giulia Geraci (Bradford, Ont.) in the team’s vaunted attack. The sophomore midfielder made quite an entrance onto the university sport scene a season ago, matching Crnjac’s 11-goal output en route to capturing OUA West Division Rookie of the Year award and U SPORTS Rookie of the Year in 2017.
The talent-laden lineups suggest that fans will be treated to another evenly-matched event, similar to the script from a season ago wherein the West Division’s top two teams also split their regular season series. Guelph doled out the Mustangs’ only loss of the regular season with a 1-0 decision early in the year before Western bounced back late in the season to secure a 5-2 victory.
With a strong returning presence on both sides of the ball, these two teams will surely be looking to earn the early season win when they meet up on Sunday at the Gryphon Soccer Complex, but both will have already gotten their feet under them prior to this first matchup. The Gryphons defeated the Windsor Lancers on Friday by a 2-0 final to open their season, while the Mustangs powered through York, 5-2, in their 2018 debut.
All the action is set to unfold on Sunday, August 26 at 1:00pm at the Gryphon Soccer Complex.
