In four games this season the team has won three, two of which came in blowout form
In a four game season where every game matters, McMaster’s women’s rugby team has been making the most out of their opportunities. After starting the season with two wins and a loss, the team looks ready to take on whatever challenges lie ahead.
Upon returning to play for the first time since early 2020, the Marauders started their season on Sept. 13, with an exhibition match against the York Lions. There appeared to be no rust despite all the time off, as they took a huge victory with a final score of 31 to seven. With all cylinders firing, the team began their season on Sept. 24 against the Guelph Gryphons, which would be their only hiccup thus far.
Homecoming for the Marauders didn’t go so well, as they fell to the Gryphons in disappointing fashion. The final score wound up being 46 to 17 and it seemed like everything had fallen apart for the team. It would take significant time and effort to get back on track and prepare for the games ahead. Fortunately, the stars would align.
Not only was the team motivated to get back on track as they now had something to prove, but they were coming up against a team they knew they could beat: the York Lions.
In their second matchup against Lions, the first of the regular season, the Marauders would make an absolute statement. The previous 24 point lead wasn’t enough, as they would take the victory with a final score of 53 to five — a 48 point spread. In the final [regular season] home game, they were sure to leave a great taste in the mouths of their supporters.
The Marauders dominated the game right out of the gate, holding the Lions to only one secured try in the match, which came after 71 minutes. The long list of scorers for the Marauders by the end of the game would include Vanessa Webb, Tia Svoboda, Ila Bett, Malaya Mizal, Stacey Warner, Katie McLeod and Brie Clarke, compared to that of the Lions, featuring only Miyah Samson.
Beyond the impressive victory against the Lions, McMaster would continue their run, beating the Brock Badgers on Oct. 16. Although a much tighter match than that against the Lions, the Marauders still maintained a respectable lead, winning with a final score of 19 to 12. This win would advance their record to two wins and one loss in the season as they head into their final match.
The last matchup of the season comes on the road and will take place in Kingston, Ontario, home of Queen’s University. The Marauders will take on the Gaels with a desire to redeem themselves. The Gaels are arguably the favourite heading into the match, having beaten the Marauders eight times in 13 tries over the last ten years. Members of the team from the 2019 season likely remember the 100 to zero loss in the last game against the Gaels, but after a strong start to the 2021 season, they could look to turn the tables.
Ameen Aghamirian, Men’s Wrestling
This weekend, the McMaster wrestling team attended the Ontario University Athletics Wrestling Championships and, for the fourth year in a row, the men took home silver overall. Aghamirian’s dominance on the mats earned him national recognition, as he was U Sports Male Athlete of the Week.
Congratulations to Ameen Aghamirian, our U SPORTS Male Athlete of the Week! 🤼♂️
Félicitations à Ameen Aghamirian, l'athlète de la semaine masculin de U SPORTS! 🤼♂️
🔗 EN: https://t.co/lK7hWCGOAs // 🔗 FR: https://t.co/neIdzK39lW pic.twitter.com/CFkke2MPeV
— U SPORTS (@USPORTSca) February 6, 2019
Aghamirian helped his team by winning gold in the 82 kg weight class. He defeated the Lakehead University Voyageurs’ Brody Evans and the York University Lions’ Jasman Gill due to technical superiority, and beat the University of Guelph Gryphons’ Simon Chaves 6-1.
This victory took him to the divisional final where he defeated the Western University Mustangs’ Brandon Amboto by tiebreaker after a 5-5 match due to a higher number of takedowns. His efforts from the weekend led him to be named McMaster’s Pita Pit Athlete of the Week. Next up, Aghamirian and the Marauders prepare for the U Sports championships on Feb. 22-23.
Stinellis made Marauders history after taking home the OUA Rookie of the Year earlier this season. The Pita Pit Athlete of the Week is the first female wrestler to win the award since it began in 2008. Stinellis took the 48kg weight class by storm, pinning all three of her opponents: Voyageurs’ Megan Smith, Lions’ Gurleen Tak and former medalist, Western’s Christine Grafe. In the finals, she, unfortunately, was pinned by the Gryphons’ vet Natassya Lu, and walked away with a silver medal. Her efforts helped the Marauders place fifth overall and secured her spot at the U Sports Wrestling Championships.
This weekend, the men’s volleyball team’s victory had two co-stars leading it. The duo helped lead the Marauders to a 3-1 defeat over the University of Waterloo Warriors on the road. Both Richards and Passalent finished the game with 16 kills, with Richards adding four aces and one block assist to the stat sheet, and Passalet adding two aces and two total blocks. The defeat bumped the men up to fourth place nationally, improving to a 10-2 OUA regular season record. Up next, the team will host the Nipissing University Lakers and the Lions for their final home matches of the regular season. The Saturday, Feb. 9, will be a special Pride celebration, followed by a showdown with York the next day.
Gates was once again an on-the-court leader this weekend in Mac’s 65-41 defeat over the Western Mustangs. With a game-high 19 points and 8 rebounds, putting her just two shy of a double-double. The 2018 OUA Rookie of the Year has been performing extremely well this season and is on track to being named an OUA all-star. The victory helped the team move up to third place in the U Sports national rankings, and first place in the OUA West, clinching a playoff berth. Gates and the Marauders will head to Algoma University this weekend to take on the Thunderbirds.
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The weekend featured back-to-back games for McMaster. First, Mac took on the University of Guelph Gryphons at home, and then headed on the road to Oshawa to take on the UOIT Ridgebacks.
The Marauders returned to the win column after defeating Guelph 3-1. The scoring began with Gersi Xhuti netting his third goal of the season from inside the box in the 26th minute.
The Marauder lead would stand for only eight minutes, as the Gryphons would beat the Mac defense to tie the game up. The goal was spurred by a long Guelph throw and would eventually find the back of the net after hectic action deep in McMaster’s own end.
Mac’s offense broke loose after the Gryphons’ first goal, scoring two goals in the next four minutes of play. The Gryphons defense was unable to control the Maroon attack, as Paterson Farrell broke the 1-1 tie in the 37th minute. The team’s leading goal scorer would knock home the eventual game winner after a free kick from McMaster caused chaos in front of the Guelph net.
The game would be put out of reach after defenseman Robert Schlosser found teammate Andrew Pastoric on a cross in the 40th minute. Pastoric’s goal was the first of his career and put the nail in the Gryphon’s coffin.
On Sunday, the Marauders boarded the team bus heading to Durham Region to take on the Ridgebacks. This match would net more promising results, as McMaster shut out UOIT 1-0.
McMaster displayed determination on Sunday, dominating the seventh-place UOIT team. Andrew Pastoric would score his second goal of the 2012 campaign in the third minute of the game to give the Marauders their second win in a row.
At the final whistle, McMaster led the shot totals 13-2 and showed discipline in their win, earning no cards from the referee. Second-year goalkeeper Angelo Cavalluzzo earned his first clean sheet of the year, continuing his strong season.
On Friday, Coach Dino Perri and his squad will take his team to St. Catherines and play the winless Brock Badgers. Mac currently sits at second place in the OUA East and will aim to catch the leading York Lions.
