TORONTO – Western field hockey wrapped up their season this past weekend at University of Toronto, falling flat to the Queen's Gaels 4-3 and Guelph Gryphons 7-3 in two hard fought matches.
 
Queen's took an early lead on the Mustangs Sunday morning, leaving the purple and white in a trail as they fought to get on the scoreboard. The Gaels' Lindsay Bjornson netted two goals within the first ten minutes of play, followed by Lindsay Logan to close out the first half at 3-0.
 
The Mustangs found themselves in a familiar place going into halftime but were able to regain some energy coming out of the break, showing determination to build off their hard work in the first half, despite what the score showed. In a demonstration of that determination, sophomore Jessica Sutherland scored her first goal of the season during a short corner just moments into the second half, as she tipped it past Gaels goalie Zenia Memon.
 
The Mustangs worked hard as a unit on offense and defense, while Goalie Bethan Blackburn made game saving stops, allowing the 'Stangs to keep the score at bay. And while the Gaels' Taylor Herrington would net their fourth and final goal to make the score 4-1, the game was not quite over yet.
 
Veteran Megan Duffy and sophomore Linsday Borrell netted a goal each as Western played an aggressive game until the final whistle, battling for a come back. Despite their determination and hard effort, the purple and white could not find a buzzer beater. The thrilling game ended in a 4-3 victory for the Gaels.
 
Later that day, Western took on the Guelph Gryphons in their last game of OUA regular season. The purple and white opened the scoring 12 minutes into the game off a scramble in front of the Gryphons net. Rookie Nicole Willis got her stick on the loose ball and netted her first career goal as a Mustang.
 
Despite a notable performance by Western's goalie, Shanshan Tian, and hard working defensive play, the Gryphons scored an equalizer minutes later. Guelph proceeded to follow up with five more goals on a combination of short corners and regular play.
 
Western eventually responded in the 58 minute of play on a short corner as veteran Katelynn Roganowicz flicked the ball through Guelph's goalie, Megan Kelley, legs and into the back of the net.
 
Finally, the Mustangs drew a one last penalty corner in the 61 minute and continued to control possession. Veteran Jennifer Chisnall netted the purple and white's third and final goal of the season as Western fell to Guelph 7-3.

The Western field hockey team would like to thank all the family, friends, and fans who demonstrated unconditional support on and off the field this season. The Mustangs will begin practicing in mid-November with their indoor season, followed by participation in indoor tournaments early 2015.