TORONTO – It was fitting that the Guelph Gryphons and York Lions clashed for the OUA field hockey championship. The only games that No. 2 Guelph and No. 1 York lost this season were to each other so the rubber match was the appropriate way to determine a new champion. The Gryphons played a desperate second half but couldn't find the goal they needed, losing a 3-2 heartbreaker to the Lions at Alumni Field in Toronto.
 
The best two teams in the OUA traded blows in an exciting final but a goal in the 43^rd minute proved the only difference between them. Jaslan Stirling, the OUA Co-MVP with Gryphon defender Rebecca Plouffe, got a crucial tip that found the back of the net, a goal that would secure the Lions' first OUA title since 1996.
 
It initially looked like it would be waved off after hitting a foot but the officials gathered and called it good. The Gryphons also had a disallowed goal in the first half when the game was tied.
 
"It was a tough way to lose," said head coach Michelle Turley. "I couldn't be more proud of how the kids handled themselves.
 
"We played so well. It was a great, competitive final."
 
The championship game marked the third meeting between the two powerhouses this season. Guelph's only loss on the schedule came against York in a 3-1 defeat on Sept. 24 in Kingston. But the Gryphons got their revenge at home with a disciplined 1-0 win over the Lions on Oct. 11, which remains the only loss of the year for the new champions.

 
Plouffe and Kayla Magarelli had the goals for the Gryphons, who were in search of their fifth OUA championship in the last 11 years and first since 2013. Goalie Morgan Kelley made four saves for Guelph.
 
After Stirling's go-ahead goal, her second of the day, the Gryphons pushed and spent most of the remaining time in York's end. There were chances to equalize, like a great shot from in close with 15 minutes left that just missed to the right of the Lions' net. The hosts put themselves in danger by taking two green cards and one yellow down the stretch. But Guelph couldn't capitalize.
 
The Gryphons had a final chance when they stole the ball in the York end in the dying seconds and were eventually awarded a penalty corner. With no time left on the clock, the ball was sent in but Guelph couldn't produce a shot on net and the Lions' celebration on their home field began.
 
"We dominated in the second half," said Turley. "I'm extremely proud of how they performed the entire weekend."
 
The Gryphons showed plenty of grit in the first half, answering each of York's goals. The Lions opened up the scoring just four minutes in when Stirling went through a Guelph defender and got the ball in behind Kelley.
 
Plouffe equalized off a short corner just over six minutes later, beating goalie Alycia Gray. When Sydney McFaul made it 2-1 off a short corner at 14:35, the Gryphons came back again. Magarelli got on the ball in a scramble from a short corner and directed a backhander into the net, which sent them to the half tied 2-2.
 
Guelph, a team that featured a mix of established veterans and young contributors, finished an impressive season 10-2-3. Even without Katherine MacMillan, the third-leading scorer in the country last year, who was lost with a major knee injury, they gelled offensively and passed the ball with precision. Turley said that she may have had previous teams with slightly more talent but none that came together like this year's group.
 
"The veterans made the players around them better," said Turley. "They showed that they had the trust and confidence in the young players. We bonded so well."