Women's Soccer: Marauders Open OUA Final Four Friday in London

McMaster competes for the conference title for the first time since 2012 this weekend at Western

The McMaster Marauders women's program will compete for a conference title for the first time in six years, when play kicks off Friday in London.

Their last trip to the OUA Final Four ended in a fourth-placed finish in 2012, but if McMaster can win one of their two matches on the road, they will ensure a spot in the U SPORTS Championship in Ottawa as well.

The Marauders clinched their appearance in the Final Four after a dramatic 2-1 win over the OUA West's top-seeded Guelph Gryphons on October 28. Newly-crowned U SPORTS Athlete of the Month Steph Roberts sealed the win in the 93rd minute with her third goal of the OUA playoffs, propelling the Marauders past the Gryphons to continue their remarkable playoff run.

McMaster faces another top seed, this one the OUA East's Ottawa Gee-Gees, in an OUA semifinal Friday.

Quick Stats:

The Marauders have outscored their opposition 4-1 in the OUA playoffs
The Marauders have outshot their opposition 18-6 in the OUA playoffs
Steph Roberts' three goals and one assist leads all scorers in the OUA playoffs
Juliana Hiwafi boasts a 0.67 goals against average in the OUA playoffs

Last Meeting:

The last meeting between these two teams came at the same stage six years ago, with Ottawa edging McMaster 1-0 in an OUA semifinal.

Scouting Report:

Ottawa arrives at the Final Four after a convincing 2-0 win over the Toronto Varsity Blues. Emma Lefebvre had a pair of goals to help guide the Gee-Gees to victory.

Lefebvre led all Gee-Gees scorers in tallying 11 goals in 16 contests over the course of the regular season, while Mikayla Morton (nine goals) and Katherine Bearne (seven goals) round out Ottawa's top scorers.

Ottawa's last Final Four appearance came in 2015, with the Gee-Gees taking home the bronze medal.

What's Next:

The winner of Friday's semifinal meets the winner of the day's second match between the Queen's Gaels and Western Mustangs for OUA gold at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, while the loser will contest conference bronze at 2:00 p.m. that afternoon.

Should McMaster win Friday, the Marauders will earn a berth into the U SPORTS Championship. Three of the four teams at the OUA Final Four will compete in that event, as Ottawa already boasts a guaranteed berth as hosts.

A loss on Friday would still afford the Marauders a chance at a national championship berth, which they could earn with a bronze medal victory Sunday.

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