Box Score BOX SCORE
WATERLOO, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons field hockey team knows exactly what it takes to make a deep run in the OUA Championship tournament. And the Gryphons began their 2018 postseason in a very efficient manner, defeating the Western Mustangs 3-0 in the opening round at Warrior Field in Waterloo.
Kayla Magarelli,
Danielle Crumpton, and
Rudi Ballard scored for Guelph, which went 7-3-2 during the regular season after making it all the way to the championship match in 2017.
The Gryphons got off to an excellent start as Magarelli, a third-year player who led the team in scoring last season, registered her goal in the opening minute of the game. Despite the bouncy surface at Warrior Field, Guelph passed the ball well in its initial attack and Magarelli finished it off for an early 1-0 lead.
Guelph extended the lead to 2-0 in the 18
th minute when Crumpton scored from around the baseline after a big scramble in front of the Western net that resulted in several chances.. The third-year player from Burlington, ON has been a big offensive contributor throughout the year, tying for third in OUA goals with nine through 12 regular season games.
The 2017 finalists wrapped it up with another goal in the 53
rd minute, this time from Ballard. The play began with a penalty corner and rookie
Lauren Marcolini sent a shot in that Ballard, a fourth-year defender, redirected into the Mustangs' net.
The Gryphons knew they would need to be patient and careful given the unpredictable nature of the turf. The team practiced indoors at the Field House all week and seemed to handled that aspect of the game well.
Guelph advances to the OUA semi-final and will play the winner of McGill v Toronto.
Gryphon Take
"We came out really fast. We usually don't score that early but we strung five consecutive passes together and put it in the goal. The team created tons of chances and in the end, we dominated." –
head coach Michelle Turley
The Record
Guelph is 1-0.
Next up
OUA Semi-final vs Toronto/McGill - Saturday, Oct. 27 (11am)
