Warriors weekly recap: Oct. 7-13

As October rolls on, so do the Warriors. It was another jam-packed week of sports, as some teams started their regular season in the win column, and others made their final push for the OUA crown. 

Thursday, Oct. 10

To start things off, the women’s hockey team opened their 20204-2025 regular season with a rematch of the 2024 McCaw Cup finals against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues. Similar to last year, the Warriors came out victorious 2-1. Gracey Smith was a standout performer for the Warriors, finding the back of the net on two separate occasions. Kara Mark had a strong preference in net as well, stopping 26 of the 27 shots she faced. 

Moving onto the field, Women’s field hockey hosted the University of Western Mustangs in a regular season match-up on Warrior field. The Warriors came out on top in this one, winning 3-0, improving their record to 5-2 on the 2024 season. It was an overall strong team performance with goals from Juli Merry, Sarah Schnarr, and Jennifer Munford, combined with a strong defensive performance from the team as a whole.

Friday, Oct. 11

The football team was back in action as they hosted the McMaster Marauders for a regular season showdown on Friday night at Warrior Field. Jumping out to an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter, the Warriors came out firing. The Marauders responded and went into the half with a 13-10 lead, regulation was not enough to decide this one as at the end of four quarters, it was tied 31-31. McMaster was ultimately able to knock down the walk-off field and leave Waterloo with the win. Running back Quinton Springer had an outstanding performance, rushing the ball 35 times for 224 yards and two touchdowns. The Warriors fall to 0-7 on the season and will travel to Kingston for a matchup with the Queen’s Golden Gales to wrap up the 2024 season. 

Men’s hockey continued their regular season as they took a trip down to Quebec to face off against the UQTR Les Patriotes. The offensive showdown ultimately didn’t go the Warrior’s way as they fell in overtime 5-4. Jack Phibbs performed well, as he found the back of the net on two separate occasions for the Warriors. 

Women’s field hockey was back in action as they travelled to London for a rematch from the day before against the University of Western Mustangs. The Warriors were able to recreate the same success they found on Thursday as they came out on top in this one winning 3-2. Another strong team performance for the Warriors as  Sierra Blackburn and Tiffany Blinkle were able to find the back of the net, while also a goal credited to “team” was awarded on the score sheet. 

Men’s basketball hit the road as they are partaking in a preseason tournament hosted by the University of Alberta. To open things up, the Warriors faced off against the host Golden Bears. The Warriors fought hard, but ultimately dropped a close one to the Bears 70-62. Kiran Chadwick-Rupp led the team in scoring dropping 23 points, shooting the lights out going 5-7 from beyond the three-point line.

The men’s baseball was back in action, competing in the OUA Championships. The Warriors were one of four teams to make it to the OUA finals, they first faced off against the University of Brock Badgers. The Warriors were able to come out on top in this offensive matchup winning 12-10. Strong performance from pitcher Jacob Ray through five innings only allowing three runs and strong performances at bat from Adam Rusch and Nolan Misa helped propel the Warriors to victory. This win earned the Warriors a spot to compete for the gold medal on Sunday. 

The Warriors cross country team was in action at the 8-Kay Marauder Invitational. Both the men’s and women’s teams as a collective finished sixth respectively. A dominant performance was posted by Paige Breedon, who finished first overall amongst the women racers, with an impressive over 20-second gap between her and the second place finisher. 

The men’s and women’s tennis teams travelled to Toronto as they competed in the OUA tennis championships. The third ranked men’s teams started things off well with a 5-2 win over the Badgers. The women’s team faced off against the University of Ottawa where they were also about to find success coming out of this one on top, 5-2. These wins punched the Warrior’s tickets to the semi-finals.

Saturday, Oct. 12

The men’s basketball team was back in action at the University of Alberta invitational exhibition tournament. This time they were facing off against the MacEwan University Griffins. The Warriors were able to find success and come out on top in this one defeating the Griffins impressively, 83-70. Rafael Lorin was a stat-sheet machine, dropping 12 points while adding five boards, four assists, and five steals. 

Both the men’s and women’s soccer team closed off their regular season as they hosted the McMaster Marauders. The women’s team fought hard, but ultimately lost 2-0 to a very strong Marauders team. This marks the end of their 2024 campaign as they finished 3-6-3 on the year. The men’s team in identical fashion lost their match up 2-0 against the Marauders. This marks the end of the season for the Warriors as they finished 3-7-2. 

Women’s hockey was back on the ice as they played host to the University of Windsor Lancers. The Warriors were able to hold on as they won in overtime 3-2. Grace Smith picked right back up where she left off after game one, finding the back of the net in the first period while Faith Mitchell followed up with another in the same frame. It wasn’t until overtime that the Warriors were able to find the back of the net again. Leah Herrfort was the overtime hero, tucking one away early in the period, propelling the Warriors to come out on top 3-2 bringing their record to 2-0 on the season. 

Both the men’s and women’s tennis teams were back in action in the OUA finals. The Men’s team faced off against the University of Western Mustangs in the semi-finals losing 7-0, with this loss the Warriors are set to compete for the bronze medal on Sunday. The women’s team, also competing in the semis, lost a tough one 6-1 over the McMaster Marauders. Similarly, the men’s team will play on Sunday for an opportunity to win bronze.

At last, the Warriors baseball team will look to be crowned OUA champions as they face off against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues for the undisputed top spot in OUA baseball. This 2024 match-up is a rematch from the championships in 2023. Although the Warriors fought hard and left it all out there on the field, they dropped to the Blues 15-5. The Warriors earned silver for a second straight year. Although this does not mark the end of the Warriors’ season, they will now be shifting their focus to the Canadian Nationals taking place here in Waterloo Oct. 17-20. If you are around, go out and support the boys, field advantage in a tournament like this can prove to make a big difference.

Sunday, Oct 13th

Finally, to wrap up this jam-packed week of sports, both the men’s and women’s tennis teams competed at the OUA for a bronze medal. The men came up short, losing 7-0 against a very strong York team. The women were so close, but ultimately dropped a nail-biter, 4-3 against the Western Mustangs. This marks the end of the 2024 campaign for both the men’s and women’s tennis teams.