LANCERS SHOW PROMISE IN FIRST OUTING
The women's rugby team kicked off the year on their home field as they played host to the first OCAA Women's Rugby 7s tournament of the season. In the second game of the day, the Lancers took on the 2022-2023 silver medalists, the Fleming Phoenix. The home team got off to a rocky start in the first half and saw the Phoenix go up 5-0. After a breather and a pep talk from Head Coach Ken Fitzgerald at half, the Lancers looked like an entirely new team in the second.
Elayna Reid (Foxboro, ON) showed off her impressive speed on the wing and got the Lancers on the board with a beautiful try to tie the game 5-5. First year Lancer, Ryan Fitzgerald (Trenton, ON) successfully kicked a tough convert to give her team a 2-point lead.
Moments later, the team got the ball back out to Reid and she ran for her second try of the day. Fitzgerald came through with another made convert to boost the team to a 14-5 lead. The Phoenix answered back with a late try but the Lancers still came out on top of a 14-10 decision.
The Lancers second game of the day was against the neighboring SLC Surge. The game started off strong with both teams fighting hard and maintaining pace. The Surge scored the first try after 5 minutes of play with the Lancers answering back with a try from Sarah Fielding and another convert for Fitzgerald to even up the score 7-7 at the half.
True to their name, the visiting team surged into the second half with back-to-back tries to go up 17-7. Showing their grit and determination, the Lancers battled it out until the very last minute with Reid getting across the line for her third of the day at the 14-minute mark. Fitzgerald scored her fourth convert, pushing to within 3 points. With less than a minute left on the clock, the Lancers fell 17-14 to the SLC Surge.
Their third and final match up of the day was against the Algonquin Wolves. The Wolves got across the line early on and used the momentum to carry them through the match. The Lancers got their first try when team veteran Hannah Bender (Kingston, ON) dug deep and forced her way through the Wolves' defense to score the team's only try of the game. The visiting team got one more and cruised to a 22-5 decision.
Despite the 1-2 record on the day, the Lancers had a tremendous showing for the first tournament of the season. The team shows plenty of talent, athleticism and promise for the season with good leadership and a strong work ethic.
Next up for the Lancers is a two-day battle hosted by the Durham Lords in Oshawa where they'll cross over against Conestoga, Humber, Durham and Seneca on September 23rd & 24th.