AROUND OUA: Strong second half leads Mustangs over Lions 38-22
SCOREBOARD
Strong second half leads Mustangs over Lions 38-22
LONDON, Ont. – Western took little time getting back on the winning track after a tough loss to Guelph in week two, putting together a 24-point second half on Saturday afternoon to hand the York Lions a 38-22 defeat at Alumni Field.
"The girls changed the game around themselves," said head coach Katie Baer about the Mustangs' late push. "They realized that they had gotten stuck and just decided to play Western ball. They really played their hearts out. For them, that's the moment that really switched it around.
"At half time we talked about it, and really just decided enough was enough," added veteran Andrea Bowra We went back out there firing."
With the win, the Mustangs record improves to 2-1 while York picks up their first loss of the season after two early wins.
Bowra topped both sides of the scoresheet with 18 points. In addition to recording a try, she made all five attempted converts and a penalty goal. Behind Bowra on the purple and white side was Paige Farris, who recorded two tries. Also putting up points for Western was Veronica Harrigan, and Rebecca Matheson, who each recorded one try.
York, capitalizing on their size advantage and force in the scum, took control of the game immediately. Pushing deep into purple and white territory, they scored the first try of the game at the five-minute mark after planting the ball near the sideline.
Western retaliated just two minutes later to take the lead. Farries broke out of the sea of red and white to run the ball from half field and land a try directly in the centre of the Lion's in-goal area. Bowra followed up with a convert to give the Mustangs a two-point lead.
The next 32 minutes were a back-and-forth of strong runs and quick breakaways. Both York and Western displayed their offensive prowess but seemed to struggle in the back end. At the end of the first 40, York had taken a small lead over the Mustangs at 17-14.
Returning to active play, the Mustangs didn't waste time in getting back on top. Veronica Harrigan recorded a try five minutes after being back on the field allowing Bowra to follow up with a clean convert. The duo gave the purple and white momentum a boost, sending the Mustangs into a scoring frenzy.
An additional 17 points went up for Western before York was able to get back on the board with a try and convert with just over ten minutes left.
The last ten minutes saw attempts from both teams to add a few more tallies to the score sheet but no one was able to break through the opposing team's defense.
"We're just getting our momentum going," said Bowra. "We plan on being back at nationals this year so we just need to keep moving."
The Mustangs are back in action on October 2, when they head to Waterloo to take on the Laurier Golden Hawks. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Source: Western Mustangs
Brock ties Waterloo 22-22 on last minute try
ST. CATHARINES, Ont. – The Brock University women's rugby team (0-2-1 OUA) added a last minute try as they tied the Waterloo Warriors 22-22 Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field.
"We have been working on skill development and our catch pass lately, and the girls were able to apply it on the field today," said women's rugby head coach Rebecca Delaney.
Brock came blazing out of the gates early, with Chelsea Braithwaite (Brampton, Ont.) scoring off a penalty in Waterloo's end to make the score 5-0. Amarije Barnes (Brampton, Ont.) would score shortly after to make it 10-0 on a nice rush down the field. Waterloo would go on to convert a penalty kick and a try for 10 points to tie it.
Nearing the end of the first, Brock would answer with an aggressive attack for Kayla Hutchinson (Erin, Ont.) to score.
In the second half, Waterloo opened the scoring after a turnover on back pass fumble. They would convert it to tie gameplay up at 17-17.
The pressure continued from the Warriors scoring on a end-to-end rush to make it 22-17, but the Badgers would not back down with third year winger Kelsey Smith (Kingston, Ont.) scoring in the final minute to tie it. They were unable to convert the try.
"It was really nice to see the heart of the team. Today's game was all heart and you could not only see it, but feel it." – said fifth year student and women's rugby veteran, Katie Faust.
The Badgers return to action next Saturday (Oct 3rd) when they will travel to Peterborough to play the Trent Excalibur. Start time is scheduled for 11am.
Source: Brock Badgers
Gaels topple Toronto at Nixon Night Out 106-3
KINGSTON, Ont. (September 26, 2015) – Emma Chown had a big night for the Gaels (3-0), scoring five tries in their outstanding 106-3 win over the Toronto Varsity Blues (0-3) this Saturday at Nixon Field.
The Gaels didn't miss a beat as they hit the ground running with two quick tries in the first five minutes of play from rookie Sadie Stephenson (Ottawa) and Emma Chown (Barrie, Ont.) both followed by Lauren McEwen (Wasaga Beach, Ont.) converts to put them up 14-0. Toronto fought hard but the Gaels kept pushing through with Chown and Stephenson putting up their second tries and McKinley Hunt (King City, Ont.) adding her first, all finished off by conversions from the veteran McEwen. The Blues found their way onto the board for the first time off a successful penalty kick by Jenny Lin, but the Gaels didn't let it go unanswered with Chown putting up her third try of the game. With tries from Lauren Murray (Lindsay, Ont.) and McEwen the Gaels met the halftime whistle with a comfortable 64-3 lead.
The second half was a repeat performance by the Gaels as Murray broke through with her second try in the first five minutes of second half play. With tight defence and quick transitions, the Gaels shutout the Varsity Blues for the rest of the game. Queen's was carried through to the end with a team contribution of tries from Miranda Seifert (Regina), Darcy Hansen (Caledon, Ont.), Lydia Salgo (Ottawa), Genevieve Kasa-vubu (Guelph, Ont.) and Hannah Greenwood (Kingston, Ont.). Chown topped off her night by chalking up two more tries in the second half that led the Gaels to their 106-3 win over the Varsity Blues and stretched their winning streak to three games.
Source: Queen's Gaels
