Marauders look to remain perfect on the pitch with provincial championship
[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/coggerorr.jpg” caption=”Maggie Cogger-Orr, captain of the McMaster Marauders women’s rugby team, said the squad’s chemistry and hard work have led to on-field success all season long. The Marauders take on the Guelph Gryphons this weekend in the Ontario University Athletics final. Photo courtesy Maggie Cogger-Orr. “]McMaster's women's rugby team will put its perfect record on the line Saturday when it
travels to Guelph to take on the 5-0 Gryphons for the Ontario University Athletics
championship.
The Marauders secured a birth in both the provincial finals and the Canadian
Interuniversity Sport championship, scheduled for November 3-6 at Trent University,
with a 31-0 semifinal win over Brock last weekend.
The Marauders are looking to win their first Ontario championship over a Guelph squad
that has won three straight.
“We've got a really great group of women who are really great athletes,” said head coach
Cam Mitchell. “We've also worked hard to develop a system that allows them to play
well, and they have.”
Captain Maggie Cogger-Orr, a third-year commerce student, agrees and said the
Marauders have enjoyed team chemistry that has allowed them to play with success all
year long.
“Everybody puts in the hours and every win has been a whole team effort,” she said.
Cogger-Orr also said that after a number of seasons of being on the cusp, no one on
the team is taking the next two weekends lightly.
“We don't want to let this slip through our fingers,” she said. “It has all come together for
us this year. We've been given an opportunity and now we have to do something with it.”
The Gryphons are coming off a 50-0 rout of the Queen's Gaels. Guelph is ranked
second in the country, while McMaster is ranked fifth.
Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday at Guelph's Varsity Field. A fan bus will
make the trip from McMaster to Guelph, leaving campus at 4 p.m. Tickets are available
for $5 at the Maroon Shop in the David Braley Athletic Centre.