In a Women’s Lacrosse shocker, U of T (2-3) defeated the three-time defending OUA championship Golden Hawks in an intense 14-13 win at Wilfred Laurier Sunday.
Unbeaten for two years, Laurier (4-1) was unable to contain a Blues attack that fought from start to finish. By the end, U of T proved too strong for the Hawks, stealing one away and shattering Laurier’s perfect record.
While being the second game of the day for both teams, there were no signs of fatigue on either side. The Hawks started off early, scoring two quick goals. But Blue attacker Katie Godfrey stepped up to the challenge and led the Blues by retaliating with three tallies of her own. The Blues ended a half full of duelling leading 8-7.
The second half proved to be just as exciting, as the Blues’ Tori Merrill scored just 27 seconds after the whistle blew. But Laurier’s Kirsten Gerrie took the game into her own hands, stinging three goals past the Blues defence. By the midway point of the half, the game was even at ten a piece.
A draw seemed near, as the seesaw battle for dominance had the teams tied at 13 goals apiece with one minute remaining. But with 23 ticks left on the clock, Blues midfielder Rosemary Gibson blew one by the Hawk goaltender to put the game out of reach for Laurier.
Godfrey, last year’s OUA League MVP, was the leading scorer for the Blues, ringing in five goals and one assist. Also pacing the Blues was Jen Held, who racked up two goals while dishing out three assists. Rookie net-minder Cora Mitchell kept Laurier’s offence at bay and kept the Blues in the game.
This colossal win took place mere hours after U of T defeated the Western Mustangs 16-9. In the match, the Blues pulled away in the second half to take home a decisive win. Leading point scorers for U of T were midfielder Merril, last year’s OUA Rookie of the Year, who scored five goals, attacker Held, who rang up four goals and two assists, and rookie Yoko Murphy, who notched four goals and an assist.
The two wins are a huge boost for the Blues.
“These wins show we can compete against every team this year,” said Head Coach Todd Pepper. “I have noticed an improvement in their game with every match.”
The squad looks forward to meeting with McGill, McMaster and Queens next weekend at McMaster’s Alumni Field for their last away games of Eastern Division play.
Closing their regular season at home with a double-header on October 22, the Blues face off against Guelph at 10:00 in the morning and play Brock at 4:00. All games are at Scarborough Campus’s Valley Field.
Adding a new edge to the team this season has been the addition of Alana Chan to the coaching staff. Standing along side Pepper, Chan’s knowledge is based on game experience. She has competed at two World Cups representing Canada on both the Junior and Senior National Lacrosse teams. According to Pepper, the Blues are excited to have her on board.
The previous weekend, the Blues suffered three losses at Kingston. Queen’s defeated the Blues 14-7 on September 23. The next day, McMaster dispatched U of T 8-5, before McGill also posted a loss on the Blues, 7-5.
