GUELPH, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons women's soccer team is through to the OUA semifinal stage for the first time since 2017, thanks to a 1-0 win over the McMaster Marauders on Wednesday night (Oct. 23) in an OUA quarterfinal matchup at the Gryphon Soccer Complex.
 
Gryphons fourth-year forward, Olivia Brown (Guelph, ON), provided the lone goal of the match late in 2nd half, with the human kinetics major sending a well-placed, low shot into the back of the McMaster net in the 88th minute, propelling the Gryphons to a 1-0 win over their division rivals from Hamilton. The match-winner for Olivia Brown comes on the heels of a standout regular season, in which the fourth-year striker finished 3rd in the OUA in goals scored with 10 in 12 games.
 
The playoff win for the Gryphons on Wednesday night means they have booked a spot among the OUA's final four teams, with Guelph last reaching the OUA semifinal stage back in 2017 (the same year in which the Gryphons won the lone OUA title in program history).
 
Next up for the Gryphons, a trip to the nation's capital on Saturday (Oct. 26) to face the top seed from the OUA East Division in the No. 2-nationally ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees. The Gee-Gees, who entered the 2024 women's soccer season as the two-time defending conference champions, booked their spot in the OUA semifinals thanks to a 2-1 home win over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues in their quarterfinal match on Wednesday night in Ottawa. The other two teams remaining in the conference are the OUA West No. 4-seeded York Lions, who will head to North Bay to face the OUA East No. 2-seeded Nipissing Lakers.