The Owen Sound North Stars Legacy Ridge Golf Club Junior Elite Women’s League (JEWL) lacrosse team closed out their season in impressive fashion Saturday, earning a 15-12 victory over the Oshawa Lady Blue Knights in Peterborough.
Both teams entered the postseason with championship aspirations – Oshawa as the regular season champions and Owen Sound as the No. 3 seed – but early stumbles in pool play pushed both into the consolation bracket. Their final matchup delivered the intensity expected from two top contenders.
The opening quarter was a back-and-forth battle featuring four lead changes before settling at 4-4. Bree Wilkins scored twice for Owen Sound, while Camryn Stauffer and London Doyle added singles.
The second quarter mirrored the first in competitiveness, with the team’s trading goals throughout, but Oshawa held a slight 8-7 edge at halftime. Ella Todd, Wilkins, and Doyle supplied the North Stars scoring.
Oshawa maintained its slim lead through the third quarter, with both teams striking three times. Owen Sound goalie Marly Woodhouse delivered several key saves to keep the North Stars within reach. Doyle scored twice in the frame, and Wilkins added another.
The final 15 minutes belonged entirely to Owen Sound. As is often the case in lacrosse, if you control the draw circle, you control the game and that was never more evident than in the final quarter. Scarlett Stevenson and Jenna Cranny repeatedly helped secure possession off the draw, fueling a decisive North Stars surge, as Owen Sound outscored the Lady Blue Knights 5-1 in the final frame. Defender Taryn Weppler showed her offensive prowess carrying the ball the length of the field scoring her first goal of the game, while Doyle, Stauffer, and Wilkins with two rounded out the scoring.
Following the game, the league award winners were announced, with three North Stars earning JEWL First Team All-Star honours. Bree Wilkins, the league’s regular season scoring champion, was named an all-star midfielder. London Doyle earned a spot as a first-team attacker, while Taryn Weppler was recognized as a top defender.
Special recognition to North Stars coach Lyndsay Brooks, who was heading to the airport after the game. Brooks was selected to serve as part of the officiating crew at the Women’s Field Lacrosse World Cup in Tokyo, Japan.