The Trent Excalibur women's lacrosse team are the new Ontario University Athletics (OUA) champions, claiming the 2025 Patterson Cup after a dominant weekend performance in Waterloo.
Trent entered the championship as the top seed following a stellar 7-1 regular season and carried that momentum straight through the playoffs. The squad opened their postseason with a commanding 17-2 victory over the McMaster Marauders on Friday evening, setting the tone for what would become a statement run to gold.
Saturday's (Oct 18) semifinal featured a highly anticipated rematch against the host Laurier Golden Hawks, the only team to defeat Trent during the regular season. The Excalibur made sure history wouldn't repeat itself, storming past Laurier with a decisive 14-6 win to book their ticket to Sunday's championship.
In the final, Trent faced the two-time defending champion, Queen's Gaels, a familiar opponent they had defeated 13-6 in their season opener back in September.
Queen's got on the scoreboard first, but the Excalibur quickly responded with a pair of goals by OUA Rookie of the Year Maddy Baxter (Whitby, ON) to take a 2-1 lead after the first quarter. Excalibur's Tyler McDonald (Lynden, ON) and Natalie Fournier (Georgetown, ON) book-ended a Gaels marker in the second quarter to give the green and white a 4-2 half-time lead.
Queen's cut the lead to 4-3 early in the third, but McDonald showed her grit and determination to score her second of the game and Trent wouldn't look back. Baxter completed her hat-trick to end the quarter as Trent increased their lead to 6-3. OUA offensive player of the year, Abby Hiltz (Peterborough, ON) got on the board with a power play marker in the fourth quarter and Fournier completed the scoring on the power play, notching her second of the game, as Trent controlled the final stanza to win 8-4.
OUA goalkeeper of the year Kieran Gerow (Brighton, ON) was named Trent's player of the game, making nine saves. The Excalibur outshot Queen's, 14-13 for the game.
This year's win marks Trent's fourth OUA title in program history, with gold medal finishes in 2016, 2019 and 2021, and was led by head coach Jocelyn Lemay. Trent Athletics will be hosting next year's OUA Championship at Justin Chiu Stadium.
Capping off an incredible season both individually and collectively, several Excalibur players were recognized among the league's best for their outstanding performances throughout the year:
- OUA Rookie of the Year: Maddy Baxter
- OUA Offensive Player of the Year: Abby Hiltz
- OUA Goalkeeper of the Year: Kieran Gerow
Trent's excellence was also recognized across the league's All-Star selections:
- Attacker: Abby Hiltz
- Midfielder: Natalie Fournier
- Midfielder: Maddy Baxter
