Saturday, October 20
12pm
Varsity Field, University of Guelph
Guelph Gryphons vs Queen's Gaels
Online:  www.oua.tv
 

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GUELPH, Ont. – Many teams aspire to win games. Or even titles. Others have something bigger in mind. For the Guelph Gryphons women's rugby side, building layers on a historic legacy is not only a goal but an expectation. The No. 4-ranked team in U SPORTS will attempt to do something truly special this Saturday afternoon at Varsity Field – win a third consecutive OUA championship banner.
 
If the Gryphons are able to defend the home pitch and hold on to the hardware, known simply as the Championship Trophy, it would mark the 16^th time in the last quarter century that the side topped its league competition. But a familiar rival stands in the way. The Queen's Gaels sit right behind Guelph at No. 5 in the latest U SPORTS rankings and the talented team from Kingston will be prepared for the rematch of the 2017 championship at Varsity Field, which the hosts won 43-17 thanks to a late surge.
 
"Queen's is a quality side," said head coach Colette McAuley, noting that both teams have come a long way since their first meeting this season in early September. "They play wide and expansive, which is fun to watch.
 
"We can attack from anywhere so it should be a really good battle."  
 

Preparation is never an issue for the Gryphons. The team has continued to fine tune its game in all phases, with an emphasis on being creative offensively and maintaining a ferocious, fearless approach to defence. Guelph has a group that is also mentally strong and despite being aware of what's on the line Saturday from a historic perspective, the focus is on executing at their best to win this single match.
 
"It's something we set out to accomplish at the beginning of our season because we as a team know it's the calibre of rugby we can achieve," fourth-year centre Alexandra Everett said of the appearance in the final. "The focus at practices is high intensity, speed, and accuracy with all of our drills. We've set a pretty good base and now we're looking to try and use those skills to assess our opponents and manipulate our plays to create the best outcome."
 
Everett is arguably even hungrier than most of her teammates to step onto the pitch this Saturday. The OUA tries leader (11 through four regular season games) missed out on last season's championship match, with a brutal injury, a torn quad.
 
"It would mean a lot to me for us to win this game," said Everett, a Wildlife Biology major from Brockville, ON, who was just named a Shiels Division All-star. "It's very personal for me to be able to play in this game and contribute towards a team win. I think everyone has worked really hard this year and know what's at stake. It'll be a hard game but we're all up for the challenge."
  
Queen's inevitably provides the two-time defending champions with their biggest test in recent years. Everett and her teammates left Kingston with a narrow 39-34 win in the OUA opener, holding the Gaels off as they mounted a big second-half comeback. Queen's has the Shiels Division Player of the Year in star Sophie de Goede, who built on the immense promise of her rookie season in 2017. The towering de Goede is a fixture in the Gaels' back row, along with back three Shiels All-stars Rachel Hickson, and Nadia Popov, who broke loose to score a long try in last year's final.
 
But Guelph has no shortage of talent and Queen's will know full well that the fast, deep roster of the champions will try dictate the pace and punish any Gaels mistake. The Gryphons populated the All-star roster again, with third-year prop Brodie Schmidt, fifth-year centre Madison Brattan, fourth-year centre Emmanuela Jada, third-year lock Emilie Nicholl, and fourth-year fly half Julia Schell all joining Everett in receiving honours.​​​​​​

Schell, a former Player of the Year, will be a key figure after missing out on Guelph's 97-12 demolition of the Brock Badgers in the OUA semi-final last week with an illness.
  
That core group is surrounded by numerous talented teammates, each of whom is prepared to step into whatever role McAuley asks of them. The Gryphons' culture is one of togetherness and mentorship. These veteran players working towards a third straight OUA championship banner have helped Guelph's younger athletes grasp what it means to be a member of the program. 
 
And they can add another chapter with an historic win.
  
"The week leading up to finals, we try focus just on the task at hand," said McAuley. "We don't worry about history. It's one day at a time. As coaches, we have a saying – 'outcome vs process.' We're still working on process, playing the best game that we can on Saturday.
 
 
"If the outcome gives us the three-peat, it's another goal they accomplished as a team."
 

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