Season Recap

For the second straight year, the Western Mustangs women’s rugby team finished the season as OUA Silver medalists. And for the second straight year, it was the Guelph Gryphons that kept them from winning an OUA championship. The Gryphons downed the Mustang women 39-7 on Oct. 31 to take the OUA title, their ninth in the past 14 seasons.

A young squad, the Western women went 3-2 in the regular season, outscoring their opponents 165-68 over those five games to finish with the No. 2 seed in the Shiels Division behind the Gryphons. The Mustang offense was led by Martha Goodrow (Aurora, Ont.), Karen Harwood (London, Ont.) and Laurie Biewald (Ottawa, Ont.), who scored 45, 40 and 23 points, respectively. Goodrow had a league-high 15 converts, while Harwood was third in the OUA with eight tries.

Western opened the postseason with a 19-10 quarter-final win over Waterloo to avenge a regular season loss to the Warriors. The Mustangs then went on to down the McMaster Marauders, 26-17, for their second straight road playoff win. That victory booked Western a trip to the CIS National Championships for the eighth straight year and set up an OUA Final against the Gryphons.

The Mustangs didn’t have much luck at the National Championships, which were held at the University of British Columbia. Losses to UBC, Concordia and the eventual CIS champion Lethbridge Pronghorns gave Western a sixth-place finish.

OUA Regular Season Record:
3-2 (second place in Shiels Division)

OUA Playoff Record:
2-1 (2009 OUA Silver Medalists)
Lost 39-7 to No. 2 nationally-ranked Guelph Gryphons in OUA Final

OUA Awards:
Shiels Division Most Valuable Player: Laura Russell (8-man/Flanker/Lock/Prop)
Shiels Division Rookie of the Year: Laurie Biewald (Fly Half/Centre)
All-Stars: Laura Russell, Laurie Biewald, Karen Harwood (Prop)

CIS Championship Record:
0-3 (sixth-place finish at nationals)

CIS Awards:
All-Canadian Team: Laura Russell (second consecutive All-Canadian selection)