Last weekend, an exciting Gaels’ women’s soccer season came to a tough end.
On Oct. 25, Queen’s faced off against the Guelph Gryphons at the OUA semifinal in Guelph, but were sent home with a 4-0 loss. The Gaels went into the matchup ranked 5th in the nation, and Guelph ranked 8th.
It was a dominant effort from the Gryphons, who didn’t allow a single Gaels shot in the first half. Instead, Guelph controlled the game, peppering five shots on the Gaels within the first 32 minutes.
After Guelph’s Elise Bell was fouled in the penalty box in the 37th minute, Guelph’s Olivia Brown made no mistake with the ensuing penalty shot, tucking the ball under the crossbar.
The Gryphons led by a goal entering the second half but came out of halftime on fire. A ball from Guelph’s Olivia Rizakos found Ella Cahill, who hit a long chip shot above Queen’s goalkeeper Lily Bouvier, ArtSci ’28 to double their lead in the 47th minute.
The next 34 minutes were less action-packed, as the Gaels fought to stay in the match and keep their season alive. Bouvier stayed strong in net, and Kendra Couto, Sci ’26, recorded the Gaels’ first two shots of the game in the 78th and 80th minutes, respectively.
In the 82nd minute, though, it became clear that the tired and discouraged Gaels were running out of gas, and they were caught when a long cross from Guelph’s Bell found Rebecca Draeger in the box to make it 3-0.
With time running out and a devastated Gaels defense on the pitch, Guelph scored the dagger in the final minute of play, when Guelph’s Cahill found Jasmine Burke with a pass to take the lead to 4-0.
It was a devastating end to the season for Queen’s, who fought their way back into national rankings and hadn’t conceded a goal in three straight games. Bouvier made four saves in the match, taking on starting duties due to the absence of Ashley Strand, ArtSci ’27, with a broken finger. Seema Sakran, Kin ’26, added a shot in the final minute to go with Couto’s two, making up the entirety of Queen’s three shots in the match.
In the week following the loss, Couto was honoured as an OUA East Division First Team All-Star, while Sakran, Tatiana Kayrouz, Comm ’27, and Mattson Strickler, ConEd ’26, were given OUA East Division Second Team All-Star honours.
The loss eliminates Queen’s from both OUA contention and from a bid to the 2025 U Sports Women’s Soccer Championship in Hamilton, ON. Next fall, the team will look to build on a successful season that saw them finish as conference semifinalists and a second-place finish in OUA East.
Tags
Guelph Gryphons, kendra couto, OUA playoffs, Seema Sakran, Women's soccer
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