Gee-Gees fall just short of medal with 17-5 loss to Western

The Gee-Gees women's rugby team's historical season came to a heart breaking close on Sunday afternoon as uOttawa fell just short of a medal, taking a 17-5 loss to the Western Mustangs in the bronze medal game at the national championship tournament. After an early score, the Gee-Gees struggled with penalties and had difficulty mustering up enough offence to mount a comeback against the Mustangs.

"This tournament is probably the toughest in the world in terms of women's rugby and that is amazing to be part of," said head coach Jen Boyd. "We have a year to get back here and be better but I have to thank these girls for a great season because I am proud of them."

The Gee-Gees had a good start in the first half, striking first and limiting Western's scoring opportunities. Allison MacCormack punched the ball in early on for the Gee-Gees but Western answered with two consecutive tries of their own from Nikki Case and CIS women's rugby player of the year Lauri Josephson to close out the first half.

Penalty trouble was an issue for the Gee-Gees however as the majority of Western opportunities stemmed from unforced errors from the uOttawa. After trailing 12-5 at the halftime break, the Gee-Gees came into the second half with more energy and Western struggled to gain possession of the ball and keep Ottawa out of their end.

Josephson and Case continued to hurt the Gee-Gees in the second half, displaying their evasiveness and connecting for another try midway through the second half to put Western up by 12. In the end, the deficit was too large for Ottawa to recover from as they pressured the Mustang defence but were not able to mount a comeback.

Despite falling just short of a medal, it has been a season like none other for women's rugby at uOttawa, showing that the future is bright for the garnet and grey. Gee-Gees nation was a witness to the team's multiples feats and records being broken in 2014 such as a perfect 7-0 regular season record, a RSEQ final victory and earning a trip to the CIS national championship, all firsts for the program.

They were recognized for their achievements, making waves through the country's rugby community as head coach Jennifer Boyd was named CIS women's rugby coach of the year. Players such as Erin Van Gulik earned her first all-star nod while fifth-year Allison MacCormak was named an RSEQ all-star for a record fourth time. Afton Maisonneuve was also recognized for her efforts off the field as she was awarded the RSEQ award for Leadership and Community Engagement.

"Honestly I told those girls in the circle that it has been an honour to play with them this year and accomplish everything that we have. Regardless of today's out-come, all these girls should be proud because I am so proud of them," said MacCormak who played her final game as a Gee-Gee on Sunday. "The success in this program is only going to get better and better. People are hearing about us now and I have absolute faith that it's only going to get better and better."

The 2014 women's rugby squad kicked off what could be many successful years for the program and will be looked at as one of the best teams in the country again next season.

SCORING SUMMARY
WES 12-5: 17
OTT 5-0: 5

First half
OTT - Allison MacCormack try 5th minute (conversion no good) - (WES 0 - OTT 5)
WES - Nikki Case try 14th (conversion no good) - (WES 5 - OTT 5)
WES - Lori Josephson try 30th (Breanne Nicholas conversion) - (WES 12 - OTT 5)

Second half
WES - Nikki Case try 55th (conversion no good) - (WES 17 - OTT 5)

Players of the game
WES: Nikki Case
OTT: Allison MacCormack