GUELPH, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons women's rugby team will be playing for a medal at nationals on home soil. On Wednesday night (Nov. 4) in wet, rainy conditions at the University of Guelph's Alumni Stadium, the Guelph Gryphons defeated the Ottawa Gee-Gees by a final score of 28-19 in a quarterfinal matchup at the 2026 U SPORTS Women's Rugby Championships, presented by Homewood Health Centre. With the win, the Gryphons now advance to the national semifinals, where they will face the UBC Thunderbirds on Friday night (Nov. 6 – 6:30pm).
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A busy day of women's rugby at the University of Guelph saw a total of four national quarterfinals played, with Guelph/Ottawa capping off the action with the final game of the night. The Gryphons, OUA silver medalists in 2026, entered the eight-team tournament as the No. 4-seed, and played host to the Quebec-finalists and No. 5-seeded University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.
The Gryphons jumped out to an early 10-0 lead thanks to a try from
Katherine McFaul in the 13' minute, and an
Amanda Sarabura penalty goal in the 23' minute. The Gee-Gees would get on the board right before the halftime whistle with a Camryn Holland try, as Guelph would take a slim 10-7 lead into the half.
The Gryphons would start strong early in the second half, as
Candace Kelly made a great run before offloading to
Kaia Nolan for the try, pushing the Guelph lead back up to 15-7. The Gee-Gees trimmed the deficit to 15-14 on an Erica Osei try, but it would be all Guelph down the stretch.
In the 53rd minute, the Gryphons would make it a two-possession game thanks to
Katherine McFaul's second try of the match, which put Guelph up 22-14. Two more penalty goals from
Amanda Sarabura, in the 62' and 69' minutes would help seal the deal, with the Gryphons winning 28-19. Gryphons centre
Madison Donnelly was named Player of the Game for Guelph, who will now advance to the national semifinal on Friday night (Nov. 6 at 6:30pm) where they will face the UBC Thunderbirds. UBC defeated the Queen's Gaels in their semifinal, by a score of 15-10. The other national semifinal will see the UVic Vikes face the Laval Rouge et Or.
Tickets for Friday night's U SPORTS semifinal can be purchased online at usportstickets.ca. All games from the 2026 U SPORTS Women's Rugby Championships can also be streamed for free, live online on CBC's digital platforms (
CBC Gem,
CBC Sports.ca,
CBC Sports Youtube).
SCORING SUMMARY
13' Guelph try (Katherine McFaul) | convert good (Amanda Sarabura) Guelph 7 – Ottawa 0
23' Guelph penalty goal (Amanda Sarabura) Guelph 10 – Ottawa 0
35' Ottawa try (Camryn Holland) | convert good (Claire Bennett) Guelph 10 – Ottawa 7
HALFTIME
37' Guelph try (Kaia Nolan) | convert no good Guelph 15 – Ottawa 7
48' Ottawa try (Erica Osei | convert good (Claire Bennett) Guelph 15 – Ottawa 14
53' Guelph try (Katherine McFaul) | convert good (Amanda Sarabura) Guelph 22 – Ottawa 14
62' Guelph penalty goal (Amanda Sarabura) Guelph 25 – Ottawa 14
64' Ottawa try (Camille Irvine) | convert no good Guelph 25 – Ottawa 19
69' Guelph penalty goal (Amanda Sarabura) Guelph 28 – Ottawa 19
