GUELPH, Ont. – The No. 4-ranked Guelph Gryphons women's rugby team held off a late push from the No. 2-ranked Queen's Gaels to pick up an impressive 22-19 home win on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 19) from the University of Guelph's Varsity Field.
In a showdown between two of the top four nationally ranked teams in U SPORTS women's rugby, the matchup between these two OUA rivals lived up to the billing. The first points of the match would come in the 19th minute as the Gryphons near the goal line moved the ball left to
Candace Kelly, who was able to make a Queen's defender miss for the game's first try to give the hosts a 5-0 lead. Queen's would respond with a try take the lead in the 26th minute but the Gryphons would strike back 8 minutes later. Guelph would win a scrum and take it down the length of the field before
Arianna Masala, a first-year player from Kincardine, ON, punched it to give the Gryphons a 10-7 lead at halftime.
Madison Donnelly, a former Gael who transferred to the University of Guelph for the 2026 season, gave the Gryphons a two-try lead in the 51st minute as she was able to split the Gaels defence at the goal line for her team's third try of the day, extending the Guelph lead to 10. The Gryphons added another try in the 65th minute, using their strength after winning the lineout and pushing their way towards the goal line with fourth-year zoology major
Madeline Di Girolamo scoring, extending the Guelph advantage to 22-7. Queen's, the reigning OUA champions, would battle back scoring two tries late to cut the deficit down to 22-19 but the Gryphons were able to secure possession late to seal the win at home.
With the win the Gryphons improves to 3-0 on the season as they gain the upper hand with the head-to-head win over the Gaels for home field advantage in the OUA playoffs while the Gaels drop to 2-1 with the loss. The Gryphons return to action next Saturday night (Sept. 26) when they make the trip to Toronto take on the University of Toronto Varsity Blues.
