Women’s Lacrosse finished their regular season undefeated and attended the OUA Championships in Toronto this weekend—they left hoisting the Patterson Cup.
They played the Varsity Blues in their first game on Friday, cruising to a comfortable 14-6 win. Jaedyn Smail and Tara Meikle were the Gael top scorers, bringing in five and four points, respectively. The win earned Queen’s a break for the rest of the day.
Queen’s then met McMaster on the pitch on Saturday. The win also came easy as they dominated 18-2 for their second of the weekend.
“Coming off a difficult loss in the 2021 OUA final, our group was very motivated to create a different outcome in 2022. We had 14 returning athletes who have had gold on their minds for the past 12 months,” Head Coach Mike Watson said in a statement to The Journal.
The Gaels took that motivation and turned it into continued success. They met Guelph on Sunday and held them 10-2 for another victory. Next up, Trent.
After Queen’s loss to Trent in last year’s gold medal match-up, Watson described how his team would only be satisfied by one result.
“Seeing Trent in the final was enough motivation for the team; we were ready for our redemption.”
The Gaels started slowly against the Excalibur. Trent scored four points in the first quarter to take the lead and the second started with more points for Trent as the scoreboard read 5-2.
Trent had the momentum and the history; their chances for a three-peat were mounting. So, Queen’s decided to comeback—strong.
Watson saw this determination coming: “This was a group who have been calm under pressure this season and showed character in winning some tough games.”
The Geals refused to surrender any more points for the rest of the game, instead doing some damage of their own.
They added five points in the second quarter to finish the half 7-5. Queen’s maintained their pressure and possession to the tune of nine more in the second half.
“Our team showed our resilience, as we battled hard in the first half of the final to take control of the game,” Watson said.
In the end, Queen’s halted Trent’s OUA reign and earned a well-deserved gold medal finish.
“It was an exciting weekend for the team and the coaches and we were certainly rewarded for our efforts this year,” Watson said.
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