GUELPH, Ont. - The Guelph Gryphons women's rugby team on Friday night (Oct. 23) defeated the Brock Badgers 60-7 in an OUA semifinal matchup at the University of Guelph's Varsity Field. Addy Holmes got the Gryphons off to a quick start, scoring in the 6th minute to give her side the early 5-0 advantage. The Badgers would respond with a try of their own in the 11th minute to take the 7-5 following the succesful convert. The Gryphons would find a response 5 minutes later as
Madison Donnelly picked up the ball near the goal line and raced it in to restore the Gryphon lead. It took until the 27th minute for the Gryphs to find their rhythm in the match, with
Vanessa Skypas diving in for the try to give her side the 17-7 lead. Guelph would score twice more to close out the half with tries from Candace Scholten and Skypas' second of the match to take a 29-7 halftime lead. The Gryphons would carry that momentum over into the second half, scoring five tries en route to a convincing 60-7 victory in the semifinals to advance to the OUA Championship game. The Queen's Gaels defeated the Western Mustangs in the other semifinal, meaning it will once again be the Gaels and Gryphons battling for OUA gold. Guelph has already qualified for the 2026 U SPORTS Women's Rugby Championships as hosts of the national championship event, which will take place from November 4 to 8.
Seven Gryphons recorded tries in the win on Friday night with
Vanessa Skypas,
Madison Donnelly and
Athena Papoutsakis each tallying a pair of tries. Addy Holmes, Candace Scholten,
Jillian Bernard-Jardine and
Madeline Di Girolamo all scored a try as well. The win marks the fifth consecutive season, the Gryphons have defeated the Badgers in the OUA semifinals. The win sets up a rematch between a familiar foe for the Gryphons in the Queen's Gaels. Guelph earned the right to host the gold medal game as the No. 1-seed in the conference thanks to their 22-19 victory on September 19 from Varsity Field in the regular season. The Gaels defeated the Western Mustangs 86-5 on Friday night (Oct. 23) in the other semifinal. The OUA Championship game is set to take place from Varsity Field on Thursday night (Oct. 29) with kickoff scheduled for 7pm.
Scoring Summary | Guelph vs Brock, Oct. 23, 2026
