They were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the country entering Friday night's OUA Championship Final. Each team held undefeated records this season. However, it wasn't the home squad who was victorious under the lights at Ron Joyce Stadium, as the Guelph Gryphons beat the defending OUA and USport Champions, the McMaster Marauders, 24-7. 

Guelph opened the scoring in this hard-fought, physical match with a fast break down the wing, leading 5-0 early on.  The Gryphons were up 17-0 until the dying seconds of the opening 40 minutes, as Marauder Selena Seguin, blew past the Gryphon defense for MAC's only try of the game. Steph Black chipped it through the uprights for the easy convert to put MAC on the board. Guelph held a 17-7 lead at the break. 

The Gryphons never looked back. 

McMaster struggled to get their offense going in the second half, rarely making it into Guelph's end. However, the Marauders dug deep on defense and held the Gryphons back, showing the heart and strength they have displayed on the pitch all season. 

It was standout play from Guelph's fullback Alexandra King, who finished with a game-high 9 points, that help power the Guelph attack. The Gryphons were able to charge past the try line for the only score in the second half, putting the game out of reach for the Marauders, 24-7. 

The final whistle was blown and a new champion was named as the Guelph Gryphons earned the 2016 OUA Championship title. 

In playing in Friday's OUA final, both squads have qualified for the USport National Championship happening next week in Victoria, BC.  

Marauder Head Coach, Shaun Allen, knows his team needs to rest up to defend their national title. 

"The biggest thing we need to do is just recover. It was a really tough match both physically and mentally. We need to make sure we go into our first game on Thursday in Victoria healthy and ready to play our game. If we continue to do what we have been doing on the pitch all season, we can compete with any team in the tournament."