Big weekend for local university sports

Photo courtesy of Wilfrid Laurier University.

It’s a packed schedule for local university athletics, as several championships and playoffs get underway.

Friday

The University of Guelph women’s rugby team will take on the University of Victoria in the U Sports National semifinal in Vancouver. That game gets underway at 7 p.m. The Gryphons defeated St. Francis Xavier University 45-21 in the quarterfinal on Wednesday. Both the bronze and gold medal games will be held Sunday.

Both the Guelph Gryphons and Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks men’s rugby teams are playing in the OUA semifinal. Guelph takes on Western University at home, while Laurier hosts Queens University. Both games get underway at 7 p.m. The winners will head to the OUA final the next weekend.

Saturday

The battle of Highway 7 heads to the gridiron in Waterloo. Laurier will host Guelph in the OUA football semifinals. The winner will then head to the Yates Cup next weekend. Laurier enters the matchup undefeated, while Guelph won a wild game over Western. Kickoff at University Stadium is at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Guelph’s women’s soccer team is heading to Toronto to take on the Varsity Blues for the OUA Championship. The Gryphons earned their way to the final with two clean sheets in the post season, defeating Laurier 1-0 in the quarterfinal, and Queen’s 4-0 in the semifinals. Kickoff is at noon at Varsity Stadium.

The Canadian University Rowing Championship also starts on Saturday in Montreal. Both the University of Guelph and University of Waterloo’s men’s and women’s rowing teams will compete.

Sunday

The playoffs for the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association are now underway. Guelph hosts Western on Sunday.