The Brock women's rugby team's season came to an end with a fourth-place finish.

The Badgers lost 41-3 to the McMaster Marauders in the OUA bronze-medal game at Ron Joyce Stadium on Saturday night.

Head coach Mark Smerdon said his student-athletes surpassed his expectations during his first season with the Badgers, who were promoted to the league's top tier division this year.

"I didn't know what to expect coming into this season, but we knew it was going to be tough and yet one of the biggest things that struck me was the positive tone surrounding this group," said Smerdon. "The veterans of the team did a great job of bringing the rookies in this year and made them feel welcome and part of the program."

Everyone bought into what the coaching staff was trying to accomplish, added Smerdon.

"One thing supports the other. You got that positive tone, you got people buying in and then those leaders really stepping up when things aren't going perfectly well," he said.

Brock used their matches against top-ranked opponents Queen's and Guelph as learning tools and set realistic goals during the regular season.

"I think by achieving those goals kept the team positive whereas other teams would have been totally demoralized without them going into the playoffs," said Smerdon.

The Badgers had three players named to the OUA all-star team: back three Sara Shaw, centre Niamh Haughey and second row Kiara Stecko.