Hamilton, Ont. — Another busy weekend for the Marauders. Women's Soccer won and tied their two games over the week, keeping their undefeated streak alive. Men's Soccer had two tough match-ups and earned a well-deserved point against Western.  The Women's Rugby team had a dominant 81-5 win in their season opener. McMaster's Baseball season opened with back-to-back double headers. Finally, the Football team improved to 2-0 with a 20-11 win over the Guelph Gryphons.  

Women's Soccer:
September 3rd- W: 1-0 vs York

The McMaster Marauders (2-0-0) shutout the York University Lions (2-1-0) in a tightly contested game. After a dominating 6-0 win against Algoma (0-2-0) to begin the season, the Marauders played with a very structured approach, limiting York's opportunities and earning a 1-0 victory.

In the 37^th minute, rookie mid-fielder, Julia Van Haeke (Whitby, Ont.), scored her first career goal off a corner kick to give McMaster the lead. Van Haeke's third point of the season held up as the game-winning goal.

Offensively, McMaster finished the game with seven shots on target. Olivia Blair (Mississauga, Ont.) had a team-high two shots on goal. Highlighted by strong defensive play by Co-Captains, Shalagh Guha (Waterloo, Ont.), and Emma Fluit (London, Ont,) along with third-year defender, Elisa Ciccone, the Marauders limited the Lions to two shots on target in each half. Lucie Duffy (London, Ont.) made four saves, earning her second shutout of the season.

September 6th- T: 1-1 vs Western

The McMaster Marauders (2-0-1) remain undefeated as they drew the Western Mustangs (1-2-1) on Sunday. Post game, Head Coach, Garrett Peters, praised his team's effort in the 1-1 draw. Peters said "All points are good points, we're still undefeated. The girls battled like crazy."

The Marauders took control early in the game. Just three minutes in, Rookie Marauder, Amaris Machmueller (Kitchener, Ont.), delivered a perfect ball-in to Emma Fluit (London, Ont.) who deposited the ball into the back of the net with a well-timed header. Fluit's third goal of the season matches her total from last season.

McMaster played a well-rounded first half and maintained their 1-0 lead into halftime. Third-year Marauder, Olivia Blair (Mississauga, Ont.) was a major factor in the first half as she created multiple chances for her teammates with her strong speed and ball control.

McMaster did a strong job continuing to defend into the second half, highlighted by strong defensive plays by Natalie Hagan (Hamilton, Ont.) and Shalagh Guha (Waterloo, Ont.) that kept McMaster in front heading into the final 30 minutes. In the 73^rd minute, Western was able to find the equaliser. Despite a few chances, the game ended in a tie.

The Marauders feel positive about their effort despite the result. "Lots of room to grow. Of course, you want to try and finish the game off with the three points, but we'll take the result and move on." Peters said.

Next up, the Marauders take on the Brock Badgers in St. Catharines at 1pm on Sunday, Sept 13^th. 

Men's Soccer:
September 3rd- L: 4-0 vs York

The McMaster Marauders (1-1-0) were defeated 4-0 by the York University Lions (3-0-0). McMaster was unable to capitalize on the momentum of their big 3-0 win against Algoma (0-2-0).

The Lions recorded three goals in the first half and one in the second half. Despite a valiant effort from the Marauders, McMaster was unable to respond. The Marauders recorded six shots with four of them on target. Ethan Cagalj (Stoney Creek, Ont.) made seven saves, including four in the second half.

September 6th- T: 1-1 vs Western

The McMaster Marauders (1-1-1) had a very close match with the Western Mustangs (1-1-1) on Sunday resulting in a 1-1 draw. The Marauders were able to have a bounce back game, after a rough 4-0 outing against York on Thursday.

The Marauders got off to a strong start as Windsor native, Nicolas Fontecha opened the scoring just eight minutes into the game. "I needed it, happy to be a part of the program" Fontecha, a OUA all-star last season, said post game. His first of the season came off of a great feed from Christian Alfieri (Milton, Ont.) which opened up space for Karl Espiro (Burlington, Ont.), who fed a wide-open Fontecha to give McMaster the lead.

The Marauders controlled play for much of the half, recording eight shot attempts with five on target. Alfieri and Espiro combined for five shot attempts and three on target. The Marauders defense was on display. Highlighted by strong play by veteran defender, Josiah Bethune (Toronto, Ont.) along with standout rookie, Devesh Dushyanthan (Ottawa, Ont.), McMaster limited Western to just one shot on target.

In the 52nd minute, Western tied the game up at 1. During the mid-way point of the half, the Marauders had multiple opportunities from Alfieri, midfielder, Nico Eskit (Oakville Ont.) and second-year Marauder, AJ Robichaud (Burlington, Ont.) but were unable to connect. In the 80th minute, Martin Enright (Vaughan, Ont.) entered the game after starting goalie, Ethan Cagalj (Stoney Creek, Ont.), was sent off. Cagalj made an aggressive play from his net in order to stop a breakaway from the Western attacker. Enright came in and made an impact as a big stop in the 85th minute kept the draw intact.

The Marauders finished with fourteen shot attempts and eight on target. McMaster controlled play for the most part and held Western to just three shots on target. The draw gives them their fourth point of the season.

Up next, McMaster will face off against Brock University at 3:15 pm in St. Catharines, Ont.

Women's Rugby:
September 5th - W: 81-5 vs Trent

The McMaster women's rugby team opened the 2026 season in emphatic fashion Saturday evening, cruising to an 81–5 victory over the Trent Excalibur at Justin Chiu Stadium in Peterborough.

The Marauders wasted little time establishing control, racing to a 50–5 halftime lead before adding another 31 points in the second half. McMaster's defence was just as dominant, shutting out the Excalibur after the break and allowing just one try over the full 80 minutes.

The Marauders' scoring attack was a true team effort, with 11 different players finding the scoresheet. Caroline Dunlop (Calgary, Alta.), Calista Aarts (London, Ont.), and Laura Williams (Erin, Ont.) led the way earning two tries apiece.

McMaster also received single tries from Natalie Cremasco (Guelph, Ont.), Claire Rintoul (Burlington, Ont.), Zero Salmoni (Waterloo, Ont.), Verena Marsig (Stouffville, Ont.), Elise Voskamp (Kingston, Ont.), Madeline Robinet (Whitby, Ont.), and Tayeba Amin (Mississauga, Ont.). Fifth-year player Chayse Palfi (Keswick, Ont.) was successful on six conversions, while first-year Marauder Amin added two more successful conversions.

Following such a dominant opening performance, the Marauders will look to carry that momentum into their home opener next weekend against the University of Toronto. McMaster will host the Varsity
Blues in front of the home crowd at Ron Joyce Stadium on Saturday, September 12, at 6:00 p.m.

Baseball
September 4- L: 17-2 vs Waterloo (Game 1)

McMaster opened its season Friday afternoon against Waterloo at Jack Couch Park, falling 17-2 to the Warriors. The Marauders were held to two hits over five innings, with Quinten Shannon and Nathan Smid each recording a hit. Shannon drove in one of McMaster's two runs, while Smid added a double.

Waterloo broke the game open with an eight-run first inning and continued to add to its advantage throughout the contest. Devin Fenwick worked 0.2 innings in relief and allowed two runs, while Xavier Nguyen closed out the game with 1.2 innings on the mound.

September 4- L: 7-0 vs Waterloo (Game 2)

The Marauders received a stronger pitching performance in the second half of Friday's doubleheader but were unable to get the offence going in a 7-0 loss. Alex VanRyn went the distance for McMaster, throwing six innings and allowing seven runs, with six earned, while striking out three.

At the plate, McMaster was limited to two hits, with Coy Gordon and Jueun Chung reaching safely. The Marauders also drew a pair of walks but could not push a run across. Waterloo scored three times in the first before adding four more over the final three innings.

September 5- L: 6-5 vs Guelph (Game 1)

McMaster responded with its best performance of the young season Saturday, narrowly falling 6-5 to Guelph. The Marauders collected six hits and carried a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the sixth before the Gryphons rallied for three runs.

Devin Fenwick led McMaster offensively with two hits, while Quinten Shannon added a hit and an RBI. Aiden Cooper also drove in a pair of runs. On the mound, Aidan Webb delivered a strong start, allowing no earned runs over three innings. Noah Law and David Young followed out of the bullpen before Guelph completed the late comeback.

September 5- L: 13-12 vs Guelph (Game 2)

The weekend concluded with an offensive battle as McMaster came up just short in a 13-12 loss. The Marauders erupted for 13 hits and scored in five different innings, including four runs in the sixth to erase a late deficit.

Devin Fenwick continued his strong day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored, while John Dykij went 3-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Nathan Markie added two hits, two runs and three RBIs, while Quinten Shannon recorded two hits and scored three times. Guelph ultimately pushed across the deciding run in the bottom of the seventh.

Football:

The McMaster Marauders' defence set the tone Sunday afternoon, defeating the Guelph Gryphons 20-11 at Alumni Stadium to improve to 2-0 on the OUA football season.

McMaster opened the scoring with a first-quarter safety before quarterback Lucas Barresi (Hamilton, Ont.) punched in a one-yard touchdown early in the second. Guelph answered with an 80-yard touchdown from Tristan Aboud to Ethan Garwe, but Michael Horvat (Hamilton, Ont.) added a rouge to give McMaster a 10-7 halftime lead.

After Guelph moved ahead 11-10 in the third, the Marauders responded with a seven-play, 75-yard drive, capped by a two-yard touchdown from Micah DuChene (Hamilton, Ont.) to regain the lead.
From there, McMaster's defence took over.

Ryan Broome (Hamilton, Ont.) recorded three of McMaster's six sacks, while Christian Chukwuali II (Hamilton, Ont.) added two. The Marauders also forced two fumbles and recorded an interception while limiting Guelph to 12 first downs. "I think our defence, first of all, played amazing," said Broome. "We had a good game plan coming into it, and just trust overall."

Horvat helped seal the victory with a late 26-yard field goal, finishing with nine points while averaging 40.3 yards across 13 punts.

McMaster will look to remain undefeated when it travels to Toronto to face the York Lions on Saturday, September 12 at 1 p.m.

Upcoming Events (September 7-13, 2026)

Sept 11
4:00PM: Field Hockey vs Toronto
8:00PM: Men's Lacrosse vs Laurier 

Sept 12
10:15AM: Women's Lacrosse vs Queen's
11:00AM: Fast Pitch vs Waterloo
12:00PM: Baseball vs Laurier
1:00PM: Football at York
1:45PM: Women's Lacrosse vs Toronto
3:00PM: Baseball vs Laurier
3:00PM: Fast Pitch vs York
3:00PM: Field Hockey at Guelph
6:00PM: Women's Rugby vs Toronto

Sept 13
11:00AM: Fast Pitch at Ottawa
12:00PM: Baseball at Laurentian
1:00PM: Men's Rugby at TMU
1:00PM: Women's Soccer at Brock
3:00PM: Baseball at Laurentian
3:00PM: Fast Pitch at Queen's
3:00PM: Men's Soccer at Brock
4:30PM: Men's Lacrosse at Guelph