OTTAWA - Earning a huge 2-1 come-from-behind victory against the Guelph Gryphons in Saturday's OUA quarterfinal, the McMaster Marauders were unable to maintain that momentum and fell 2-1 to the Ottawa Gee-Gees Wednesday night in an OUA semifinal in the nation's capital. 

The two squads met for the first time since the 2018 U SPORTS Championship with a lot on the line. The winner would earn its spot in the OUA Championship game and an automatic berth to the U SPORTS Championship while the loser would have to await the result from the other semifinal to determine its fate. 

McMaster had the first real scoring opportunity of the game in the third minute of play when OUA West Rookie of the Year, Ravina Braich, laid off a pass to Emily Calabrese inside the 18-yard box but the shot went just wide. From there the two teams exchanged chances with the Marauders controlling much of the opening 20 minutes while the host Gee-Gees picked up some momentum in the closing minutes of the opening half. Ottawa broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute of play when a cross in by the Gee-Gees was redirected into the Marauder goal off of a McMaster defender to give the hosts a 1-0 lead at the halftime break.

The Marauders came out of the gates strong in the second half, but it was the Gee-Gees who doubled their lead in the 62nd minute when Allana Oriente connected with a cross from Jenna Matsuobo and headed it past Jana Febbraro. McMaster made some changes and got one back in the 84th minute on a set piece from Jade Abreo. A number of Marauders were in on the action but it was Tiam Pourbakhtiari who was credited with the goal. Despite some chances in the closing six minutes, it was the Gee-Gees who secured the 2-1 victory.

Ottawa recorded 11 shots throughout the contest, three of which were on target, while holding the visitors to seven total shots. Jana Febbraro tallied one saves in the contest for the Marauders.

In the second semifinal, the Queen's Gaels defeated the Western Mustangs in penalty kicks to earn a 1-0 victory and book a spot in Saturday's OUA Championship game. With the result, the McMaster Marauders will have one final shot to earn a berth to the 2023 U SPORTS Championship when they face the Mustangs in an OUA bronze medal match on Saturday at 7pm in London. The winner of the game will advance to Nationals while the loser will see their season come to a close.

The No. 1 seed in the OUA East, the Gee-Gees will host the OUA Championship on Saturday., when they face the No. 2 seed in the East, the Queen's Gaels.