KITCHENER, Ont. – The Gryphons women's lacrosse team is peaking at the right time. As a result, the team has plenty to feel good about heading into Saturday's action after splitting a pair of games on Friday at the opening day of the OUA Women's Lacrosse Championship tournament.
 
After finishing the regular season ranked 7th in the 10-team league with a 3-9-1 record, the Gryphons opened up the OUA Championship Tournament at Woodside Park in Kitchener with a 13-3 win over the York Lions 13-3 in preliminary round action. The Gryphons pitched a shutout in the opening half against York, and received a trio of goals from Erin Murray in the opening half to help storm out to a 10-0 lead. Murray finished the contest with four goals and two assists while Susanna Coss also notched four goals in the win.
 
That result put the Gryphons in an OUA Quarter-final match against the No. 2-seeded Queen's Gaels who finished second in the conference with a 10-2-1 record during the regular season. The Gryphons gave the Gaels all they could handle Friday night but ultimately came up short, losing 9-4, sending Guelph to the consolation bracket.
 
For Gryphons assistant coach Katie Thomson, Friday's performances were a clear sign that the U of G women's lacrosse program is heading in the right direction. "These girls have really come a long way. Everyone really picked up the pace today and produced our best lacrosse of the season. Queen's is a tough team and we really stepped up and gave them a good run."
 
The Gryphons will continue their 2017 OUA Championship tournament on Saturday afternoon where they will face the Trent Excalibur at 1pm.