WATERLOO, Ont. - The Warriors defeated the Brock Badgers for the second time this season in the OUA quarter-finals played in Waterloo at the Columbia Icefields. The final was 25-10 for Waterloo.
The game began with the Warriors proving their tenacity on defence as Brock came out hard in an attempt to change the result of this seasons previous meeting where they fell 22-11 to the home team at 2010 Homecoming. The hosts would weather the storm and create opportunities to demonstrate some offensive desire of their own.
It was fourth year winger Savannah Gentile (Oakville, Ont.) who would thrill the crowd and her teammates as she worked across the field and dove in to score in the corner. The conversion was unsuccessful. With a five point lead, the Warriors continued to press and rookie outside centre Emily Sanderson (New Hamburg/) put fifth year veteran Caitlin Martin (Teeswater, Ont.) into space as she powered through the defence to add her first try of the day. Brock would answer back with a try of their own on the outside to cut the Warrior lead in half before the end of the first half.
The second half was hard-fought with some great phases of play from both teams, but the half-time advice from the Waterloo coaches paid off; "with the wind as a factor, we decided to change our attack to a more tight crashing game forcing the inside backs to try to defend our centres and back row. We proved today that we can adapt our style which will be important as we advance to the semis" mentioned head coaches Jay and Leslie Shaw.
The Warriors would add three second half tries by captain Sam Eyles (Erin, Ont.), 2010 standout prop Briana Cunningham (Waterloo, Ont.) and Caitlin Martin (Teeswater/) would add her second of the day to round out Waterloo's scoring. Brock added a second try on the outside but would see their season come to an end at the final whistle.
It was a great day of rugby - the refereeing was top-notch with carded and mic'ed-up touch judges, which is a "refreshing change from the usual volunteer touch judges,” discussed Jay Shaw. “It makes a big difference when you know there are extra officials who can keep an eye on the match and make calls from the sideline."
"Our women came out today with the goal in mind that we've had from the beginning; we never get out-worked. The hustle and desire of this team is fantastic. Erika Schroeder (New Dundee, Ont.), Kristen McAlpine (Markham, Ont.), Sam Eyles (Erin/), Renee Woodhouse (Stratford, Ont.) Shannon Holder (Waterloo, Ont.) and Caitlin Martin (Teeswater/) were work-horses out there for us today. Everyone followed their lead and we got the result we needed."
The semi-final match-up will be Saturday in Kingston as the Warriors face the undefeated Gaels to try to earn a berth in the OUA finals and the CIS Championships.
