The Western Mustangs hope to advance to the CIS national field hockey championships in Guelph next month with a Top 3 finish at the OUA Championships in North York, Ont., Oct. 29-31.
The Guelph Gryphons are the defending OUA champions but are expected to have a run in their quest to repeat from Toronto, the 2008 champions, Western, York and Waterloo. The Gryphons, which already have a berth in the CIS championships as the host, and Toronto both have first-round byes to the OUA semifinals on Saturday.
In the quarterfinals, the Mustangs are up against the host York Lions at 12:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams won a game apiece when they met in the regular season. York defeated Western 3-2 at the beginning of October and the second time they met, the Mustangs came out on top with a score of 2-1. With two tight matches, this quarterfinal is sure to be a tight race for a spot in the semis.
Lions midfielder Effie Petrou (Oakville, Ont.) will try to carry her team to the semifinals against Guelph. The fifth-year has been named to an All-Star team in all five years of her OUA career. The former CIS First-Team All-Canadian led York in scoring with seven goals this year.
But Western boasts the T. Litzen rookie of the year, Alli Nelson of Erin, Ont.. The first-year scored seven goals in her first season with the Mustangs.
Third-year and OUA all-star Megan Scraper (West Vancouver, B.C.) will also be counted on for scoring. She netted 12 goals in the 2010 regular season.
In the other quarterfinal, Waterloo will face off against the Atlantic University Sports champions, the Dalhousie Tigers. As winners of AUS, the Tigers will have a chance to compete for a berth in the CIS championships by competing with OUA teams. Although they will not be eligible to win OUA gold, they can still qualify for the CIS championships through the OUA tournament.
OUA CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE
October 29 – Quarter-Finals
12:00pm - Game 1: Western @ York
2:00pm - Game 2: Waterloo vs Dalhousie
October 30 - Semifinals, Fifth Place Game
10:00am - Fifth place: Loser G1 vs Loser G2
12:00pm - SF A: Guelph vs Winner G1
2:00pm - SF B: Toronto vs Winner G2
October 31 - Medal Games
10:00am – Bronze: Loser SF A vs Loser SF B
12:00pm – Championship: Winner SF A vs Winner SF B
