GUELPH, Ont. – Fourth-year striker Victoria Hinchliffe has a lot to live up to following an unforgettable 2018 season with the Gryphons women's soccer team. All signs early on in 2019 point to Hinchliffe once again being up to the task. The Guelph native and reigning OUA West MVP scored in the 69th minute to lift the host Gryphons (3-0-1) to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Brock Badgers (0-1-2) on Friday night at the Gryphon Soccer Complex.
 
After battling Laurier to a scoreless draw midweek in Waterloo, the Gryphons returned home for a Friday night matchup with the Badgers and jumped out to a 1-0 lead thanks to a goal from third-year midfielder Katya Tarasoff in the 32nd minute. Brock was able to equalize in the opening moments of the second half with a goal from Samantha Bayer, but the Gryphons would regain the lead for good when All-Canadian Victoria Hinchliffe netted her team-leading second goal of the season, helping the Gryphons improve to 3-0-1 on the season (wins-losses-draws).
 
For head coach Shayne Campbell, Friday night's effort came down to sheer will for his Gryphon side who were wrapping up a busy week-long stretch of league play, "Having to play four games in seven days, two of them on the road, it looked like our legs were heavy, but the effort was there," says Campbell, who was named the OUA West Coach of the Year in 2018. "There was great attitude and commitment from the girls throughout. Sometimes you just have to battle through a game, even if it may not be the prettiest game, and the girls did a really good job of finding a way today."
 
The Gryphons will return to action next weekend with a pair of road games as they visit the Windsor Lancers Friday night (Sept. 13) followed by a Sunday afternoon matchup in London versus the Western Mustangs (1pm – Sunday, Sept. 15).