GUELPH, Ont. – The Gryphons women's rugby team on Friday night (Oct. 17) used a fast start to defeat the Brock Badgers 58-7 in the OUA semifinal. The Gryphons in the opening five minutes of the match couldn't ask for a better start when
Vanessa Skypas and Addy Holmes found the end zone to give the hosts the early 12-0 advantage. The Badgers would get their lone try of the night in the 11
th minute to cut the deficit to five points but it would be the closest they would get. With the Gryphons leading 15-7, it would be
Taylor McKnight who'd lead the charge for the Gryphs, scoring a pair of tries in the 31
st and 34
th minute turning a 8 point lead into a 20 point Gryphon advantage as the Gryphs went ahead 27-7. Guelph would ride the momentum into the second half, controlling the play to come away with a 58-7 win to book their spot in next week's OUA Championship game. The win also clinches a spot in the 2025 U SPORTS Women's Rugby Championship which will be held in Vancouver from October 29 to November 2.
Five Gryphons recorded tries in their victory tonight led by three tries from fifth-year Stouffville, ON native
Taylor McKnight and a pair of tries from Addy Holmes.
Vanessa Skypas,
Emily Lenhardt and Maddy Ryan also had a try in the victory. Fourth-year bio-medical science major Grace Jacklin also had a pair of successful penalty converts, scoring 16 of her team's points tonight.
The win would mark Guelph's second victory against Brock this season, after they defeated the Badgers 36-21 in Guelph on August 30. The win sets up a rematch of last year's dramatic OUA Championship game against the Queen's Gaels in Kingston where the Gryphons won on the final kick of the match. The Gryphons will head to Kingston next week where they look to win back-to-back OUA championships. The Gaels defeated the Laurier Golden Hawks 116-0 on Friday night (Oct. 17) to host the gold medal game as the No. 1 seed.
Scoring Summary | Guelph vs Brock, Oct. 17, 2025
| Minute |
School |
Type of Score |
Player |
Convert Good? |
Updated Score |
| 3' |
Guelph |
Try |
11 (Vanessa Skypas) |
X |
5-0 Guelph |
| 5' |
Guelph |
Try |
14 (Addy Holmes) |
Yes (10 - Grace Jacklyn) |
12-0 Guelph |
| 11' |
Brock |
Try |
5 (Mia Vandenhoek) |
Yes (10 - Paige Deneve) |
12-7 Guelph |
| 18' |
Guelph |
Penalty Kick |
10 (Grace Jacklyn) |
X |
15-7 Guelph |
| 31' |
Guelph |
Try |
2 (Taylor McKnight) |
X |
20-7 Guelph |
| 34' |
Guelph |
Try |
2 (T. McKnight) |
Yes (10 - G. Jacklyn) |
27-7 Guelph |
| 46' |
Guelph |
Try |
7 (Emily Lenhardt) |
Yes (10 - G. Jacklyn) |
34-7 Guelph |
| 55' |
Guelph |
Try |
2 (T. McKnight) |
Yes (15 - Milla Sayavongsa) |
41-7 Guelph |
| 59' |
Guelph |
Penalty Kick |
10 (G. Jacklyn) |
X |
44-7 Guelph |
| 69' |
Guelph |
Try |
23 (Maddy Ryan) |
Yes (10 - G. Jacklyn) |
51-7 Guelph |
| 77' |
Guelph |
Try |
14 (A. Holmes) |
Yes (10 - G. Jacklyn) |
58-7 Guelph |
