BURLINGTON, Ont. – It’s time to mark your calendars. Ontario University Athletics (OUA) is excited to announce the complete regular season schedules for 2018-19 G1 (Market-Driven) and G2 (High Performance) league-based sports - football, basketball, hockey, volleyball, soccer, rugby and field hockey.  

After all of the on-field triumphs from this past year, the anticipation of what’s to come next season is in full swing, and fans can look forward to a plethora of top-tier talent on display throughout the upcoming fall and winter schedules.

Football

Start Date: August 26
End Date: October 20
Full Schedule: HERE

Coming off of a national championship – the first from an OUA school since 2011 – the Western Mustangs will be looking to gallop their way to continued success on the gridiron starting on August 26th against the Carleton Ravens. Another four games fill the schedule on the first Saturday of the season, including tough tilts between the Guelph Gryphons and McMaster Marauders as well as the Ottawa Gee-Gees and Laurier Golden Hawks, leading into what should be another terrific season.

The jam-packed calendar also includes must-see matchups such as the battle of Waterloo (Sept. 15), the Panda Game (Sept. 29), and a pair of post-season encores making their way to Hamilton, as both Laurier (Sept. 22) and Queen’s (Oct. 5) will venture to the hammer this season.  

The nine week regular season schedule will come to a thrilling close on October 20, thanks to a slate of games that features the always-anticipated Red and Blue Bowl, as well as the 110th Yates Cup rematch between the Mustangs and Golden Hawks, before the march towards gridiron glory continues into the postseason and a chance at the 111th Yates Cup.  

W/M Basketball

Start Date: October 24
End Date: February 16
Full Schedules: Women's | Men's

The men’s and women’s basketball seasons will tip-off on October 24, with a pair of games on both sides starting the 2018-19 hardcourt festivities. The Critelli Cup finalists, McMaster Marauders, along with their male counterparts, will welcome the Waterloo Warriors to Burridge Gym, while the Mustangs head to Guelph for openers against the Gryphons.

Play wraps up in the fall semester on December 2nd before ramping up once again in the winter on January 4th. The final day of the regular season – February 16 – will see a total of eight double-headers take to the court, including a number of games that could boast some serious playoff implications heading into the quest for the Wilson and Critelli Cups, respectively.

Among the dates to circle on your calendars are a pair of championship rematches, with the Bronze Baby winning Carleton Ravens rolling into the Steel City for a date with the Marauders on November 24, and the reigning Wilson Cup champions welcoming their powerhouse foes Ryerson in a rematch of not only the OUA championship, but the U SPORTS Championship quarter-final.

Women’s Hockey

Start Date: October 12
End Date: February 16
Full Schedule: HERE

After bowing out in the McCaw Cup final this past season, the Queen’s Gaels will look to get right back on the path to the finals with an opening day game against Laurentian at home. Joining in on the opening night’s action will be fellow post-season participants Nipissing, who will travel to Oshawa to battle the UOIT Ridgebacks on October 12.

The team that took down the regular season point-leaders in the championship, meanwhile – the Western Mustangs – will hit the ice the following week on October 19. Starting off their title defence on home ice, the purple and white will start things off in fitting fashion against their 2017-18 McCaw Cup combatants, Queen’s, who they defeated 3-0 in the OUA finale.  

Play will continue into the first day of December and will resume in the winter semester on January 4th. Helping to wrap up each team’s 24-game schedule will be a full final day of regular season action, set for February 16, which includes five games featuring six of last season’s playoff squads.

Men’s Hockey

Start Date: October 3
End Date: February 10
Full Schedule: HERE

After wrapping up their respective regular seasons going head-to-head in 2017-18, the Toronto Varsity Blues and York Lions will help kick off the 2018-19 regular season as well, rolling out the first GTA battle of the year on October 3, while the Ryerson Rams welcome Waterloo to the Mattamy Athletic Centre.

Looking to mirror their regular season and postseason success from a season ago, meanwhile, will be the McGill Redmen, who will host UQTR on October 6 to open their championship reign, while the Brock Badgers – last year’s runners up – will welcome York on October 12 for their first taste of regular season play. Last season’s top seed in the West, the Guelph Gryphons, will open their 2018-19 schedule on the road against the Rams.

The fall schedule continues through the following two months, wrapping up on December 1 with a full slate of games before winding down for the calendar year. The latter half of the schedule ramps up on January 4, before coming to a close just over a month later (Feb. 10) ahead of the Queen’s Cup postseason. Each team will play a total of 28 regular season games.

W/M Soccer

Start Date: August 24
End Date: October 21
Full Schedules: Women's | Men's

Taking the field before any other sport in the OUA arsenal is once again the beautiful game, with women’s and men’s soccer set to start on August 24.

The reigning champion York Lions will be among the first to kick-off, welcoming the Western Mustangs on the first day of action. The following day will see the remaining two medalists from the previous year take to the pitch, with silver medalists Carleton heading north for a match with the Laurentian Voyageurs and the third-place Ryerson Rams hosting UOIT.

On the women’s side, while three games will take the field on August 24th, fans will have to wait an extra day to see the reigning OUA champs take their turn, as the Guelph Gryphons will welcome the Windsor Lancers on August 25th. And while both teams will have a game under their belts, there will be an early season rematch between last year’s finalists – a match that ended in nail-biting penalty kicks – as the Gryphons and Western Mustangs will do battle just three days into the season (Aug. 24) in Guelph.

The regular season schedule comes to a close on October 21, with a total of 15 matches combined taking place on the final day before postseason play.

Women’s Rugby

Start Date: August 31
End Date: September 30
Full Schedule: HERE

After the Guelph Gryphons ran the table in 2017, the talented bunch will once again be looking to maintain their winning ways in 2018. They’ll be out of action in the opening week of the season; however, as it will be a bronze medal rematch between the McMaster Marauders and York Lions to get things going in the Shiels Division on August 31, while Toronto and Trent host Laurier and Waterloo, respectively, to open the Russell Division schedule at the end of the month.

The reigning champs will play their first of four OUA regular season tests against the Queen’s Gaels on September 8, mirroring both their opening and final match of the year just a season ago. The upstart Brock Badgers, who stormed back on the scene last season en route to a consolation finals appearance, will also start their campaign on September 8th when they head to Laurier to battle with Golden Hawks.

Men’s Rugby

Start Date: September 1
End Date: October 21
Full Schedule: HERE

What better way to start off the month than with a new slate of OUA men’s rugby? The 2018-19 regular season schedule will take to the pitch on September 1, starting with the defending champion Queen’s Gaels. After playing their way to a dominant 62-17 championship win over the Guelph Gryphons, the Tricolour will open their latest quest for gold at home against the Waterloo Warriors on the first of the month.

Plenty of OUA squads will have their eyes on the prize this season beyond the Gaels; however, including those same runner-up Gryphons and a quartet of additional teams who finished above the .500 mark a year ago. The likes of McMaster, Laurier, Western, and Brock – all finishing with 5-3 marks from a season ago – are among the many talented squads that will do battle all season long until their respective 8-game regular seasons conclude on October 21.

W/M Volleyball

Start Date: October 24
End Date: February 24
Full Schedules: Women's | Men's

History was made during last year’s OUA volleyball season, as the Ryerson Rams women’s team turned their undefeated OUA championship season into their first national championship in school history. The Rams will be among the first to take the court on the women’s side to start the 2018-19 season – battling Brock on home soil on October 24 – while their male counterparts take on the St. Catharines squad in the second half of the opening night’s back-to-back.

After another dominant season on the men’s side, the McMaster Marauders will look to start their journey toward a seventh consecutive OUA championship on a winning note when they open against the Toronto Varsity Blues on October 26, while also doing battle with fellow Forsyth Cup Final Four participants Windsor (Nov. 4, Jan. 12), Queen’s (Nov. 9), and Ryerson (Feb. 24) in the new year.

Beyond their opener, meanwhile, the Rams women’s side will venture to Western on November 17, play a pair of always enticing games against the Varsity Blues on January 20 and February 1, and wrap up season play against their 2017-18 Quigley Cup finals opponent, McMaster, on February 24.

Not only does the February 24 match mark the end of the those two teams’ respective regular seasons, but also marks the final day of play before the post-season gets underway on both the men’s and women’s side.

Field Hockey

Start Date: September 15
End Date: October 21
Full Schedule: HERE

A trio of games will get the 2018-19 OUA field hockey schedule underway, as the September 15th lineup includes McGill taking on Western and Toronto, while Guelph does battle with Waterloo. The reigning champion York Lions, who played their way to an 11-1 record last season, will take to the field the following day for a clash with the Gryphons – the team they defeated for their first OUA title since 1996 – before ending the day against the Martlets.

Each of the seven teams will complete their 12-game schedule throughout the following five weeks, with the regular season wrapping up on October 21.