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OUA women's field hockey championship preview
HAMILTON, Ont. – Field hockey has been a long standing
tradition in Ontario University Athletics (OUA) dating back almost
40 years. The title is on the line for the 2010 season and five OUA
teams will compete for the Championship this weekend at Downsview
Park, hosted by the York Lions.
The Guelph Gryphons are last year's champions and will defend their
title against OUA’s other top teams including Toronto, who
were the 2008 champions, Western, York and Waterloo.
In the quarterfinals, the Western Mustangs are up against the host
York Lions at 12:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams won a game apiece
when they met in the regular season. York defeated Western 3-2 at
the beginning of October and the second time they met the Mustangs
came out on top with a score of 2-1. With two tight matches, this
quarterfinal is sure to be a tight race for a spot in the
semis.
Lions midfielder Effie Petrou (Oakville, Ont.) will try to carry
her team to the semifinals against Guelph. The fifth-year has been
named to an All-Star team in all five years of her OUA career. The
former CIS First-Team All-Canadian led York in scoring with seven
goals this year.
The Western Mustangs boast the T. Litzen rookie of the year, Alli
Nelson (Erin, Ont.). The first-year scored seven goals in her first
season as a Mustang. Western’s only All-Star this season was
third-year Megan Scraper (West Vancouver, B.C.). She scored 12
goals in the 2010 regular season, third overall. Both players will
be looked upon to breaking down York’s defence.
In the other quarterfinal, Waterloo will face off against the
Atlantic University Sports (AUS) league champions, the Dalhousie
Tigers. As winners of AUS, the Tigers will have a chance to compete
for a berth in the CIS championships by competing with OUA teams.
Although they will not be eligible to win OUA gold, if they place
first or second in the OUA Championships, they will earn a place at
the CIS Championships hosted by the Guelph Gryphons this year.
The Warriors earned third place in OUA with a record of 8-6,
sitting behind the leagues powerhouses. Waterloo’s standout
athlete is All-Star Kara Moro (Port Moody, B.C.). The third-year
midfielder has been named an All-Star for the second time in her
career. She is tied for fourth in OUA with 11 goals in the 2010
season and will be the driving offensive force for the Warriors on
Friday at 2:00 p.m. against the Tigers.
Guelph and Toronto earned a first-round bye and will take their
13-1 record straight to the semifinals on Saturday. Each
team’s loss came to each other. Guelph was the first and only
team to defeat the Blues and that came on October 2 with a tight
score of 4-2. In their second match up, Toronto took a perfect
season away from the Gryphons with a win. Both teams have high
expectations to win the title this year, but there can only be one
OUA Champion.
OUA
SCHEDULE
October 29 – Quarterfinals
12:00pm - Game 1: Western @ York
2:00pm - Game 2: Waterloo @ Dalhousie
October 30 - Semifinals
10:00am - Fifth place: Loser G1 @ Loser G2
12:00pm - SF A: Guelph @ Winner G1
2:00pm - SF B: Toronto @ Winner G2
October 31
10:00am – Bronze: Loser SF A @ Loser SF B
12:00pm – Championship: Winner SF A @ Winner SF B
-OUA-
