KINGSTON, Ont. - The Golden Hawks were in Kingston this past weekend for the OUA women's lacrosse championship, hosted by Queen's University.
After a hard-fought loss to the defending champion Queen's Gaels and a draw with Ontario Tech on Friday, the purple and gold had to await Saturday's results to find out if they qualified for the medal round.
They'd wind up facing Guelph in the fifth place game, and beat the Gryphons 9-6 Sunday afternoon to cap off an impressive season.
QUEEN'S [9] VS. LAURIER [7]
Starting off the first day of the OUA Women's Lacrosse Championship, the Queen's Gaels defeated the Laurier Golden Hawks in a close matchup. The game ended 9-7 in favour of the Gaels.
Queen's Kiara Mckelvey, and Laurier's Rayne Blasutti lead their teams in goals with three a piece.
The first quarter started with a strong offensive effort from both teams. The Gaels found the back of the net twice in quick succession with goals from Abby Lee and Kennedy Lynch, and later an additional goal from Lee.
The Golden Hawks responded with two goals of their own from Kara Patton and Riley Marwich, bringing the score to 3-2.
The Gaels, led by strong defence, shut out the Golden Hawks in the second. They also added two more points to their score, bringing the game to 5-2.
Both teams upped the momentum heading into the second half, with Laurier putting up an additional two points in the third with goals from Blasutti and Megan McGrath. Queen's also added a goal to their score from Summer Thomas.
With not much time left Laurier turned up the pressure, scoring three goals in the fourth.
The Gaels also accrued three points of their own during the fourth, securing the win with help from big efforts from Mckelvey and Charlotte Sawicki.
The two-goal difference was the closest any team had yet come to defeating the powerhouse Gaels this season.
LAURIER [9] VS ONTARIO TECH [9]
In the final match of Day 1, the Laurier Golden Hawks and Ontario Tech Ridgebacks finished in a 9-9 draw.
Ontario Tech's Jailyn Joensen led all scorers in the game with four goals, while Delaney Keen, Olivia Purcell, Ryane Blasutti, and Madi Snyder each scored two goals for Laurier.
Kendra Orr opened the scoring for Ontario Tech with two goals before Blasutti responded for the Golden Hawks to cut the Ridgebacks' lead to 2-1.
Joensen next scored two to increase Ontario Tech's lead before Laurier fought back to take a 5-4 lead, with goals from Keen, Purcell, and Snyder.
Samantha Blair and Catherine Vinkovic with two also scored for the Ridgebacks in the second half, while Joensen added another two, including the game-tying goal with just 46 seconds to play.
Riley Marwick scored for the Golden Hawks while Blasutti, Snyder, and Purcell added their seconds of the game.
LAURIER [9] VS GUELPH [6] – FIFTH PLACE GAME
In the fifth-place game, the Laurier Golden Hawks took on the Guelph Gryphons and emerged victorious 9-6.
The game started with a stalemate, neither team able to pick up a goal for the entire first quarter.
Laurier's Rayne Blasutti lit up the scoreboard 10 minutes into the second. Her teammate Delaney Keen also snuck one in soon after, adding a point for the Golden Hawks.
Not to be outdone, the Gryphons also accrued two points in the second, with goals from Megan Laroski and Karmyn Potts tying up the match.
With 30 seconds left in the first half, the Golden Hawks put up two more points, leading 4-2 heading into the second half.
Laurier's team captain, Olivia Purcell, attributed the lead to the team's strong communication.
"Most importantly, we played like a team. In the end everyone was passing, everything was connecting, we had our eyes up and open and just ready to put balls in the net."
The Hawks extended on their lead in the second half with Kara Patton and Purcell finding the back of the net. Guelph fought to close with gap with Rachel McConvey going for a long run down the field, finishing it off with a goal.
In the end, Guelphs efforts were not enough to take down Laurier, with Keen putting up two more in the fourth to round out the game 9-6. Keen lead her team in points, with four goals attributed to her.
For Laurier's Purcell the game marks the last of her OUA career and she's happy to go our on a win.
"On the final day you just feel like you're on the field with all your best friends and you just can't help but smile. I think that the best win is to end it with a team like this."
-With files from the OUA
