The 2015 Gee-Gees women's rugby team made history on Sunday, reaching the Canadian Interuniversity Sport podium for the first time. A dominant team performance led Ottawa to a 65-7 win over RSEQ rivals Concordia to claim the hardware.
It was a step up from 2014 for Ottawa, when the team achieved a fourth place finish. There was little doubt in this game that the result would improve as the garnet and grey took control immediately, playing crisp rugby at high speeds.
Irene Patrinos was named the Player of the Match in her final game in Garnet and Grey, scoring three tries and adding 10 points on converts. The fifth-year flyhalf from Mississauga noted the true team effort which allowed her team to shine in the game.
"This was an incredible team game - everybody came with their best game. We were meshing and gelling so well. We had to put yesterday aside and focus on getting the medal."
Ottawa built to a 33-0 lead in the first half and continued its work in the second. Rookie Elizabeth Boudreault opened the scoring just two minutes into the match. The support from flanker Courtney Mastine and centre Danarae Sommerville was active, and seven players were credited with tries.
Concordia was playing without RSEQ Player of the Year Frédérique Rajotte, who had made life difficult for Ottawa in the teams' two previous meetings, due to an injury suffered in the semifinal. The Stingers broke the shutout in the 33rd minute of the second half after recovering their own kickoff and pushing forward. The score stood at 60-7 after that score.
"The girls really bounced back from a tough loss yesterday," said a proud Jennifer Boyd after the win. "I'm really happy with the leadership of the team this year and they performed really well today."
"The team has a very bright future," added Patrinos. "We have a lot of young players that have just come in and they made such an impact today. We had so many subs go in and the game didn't change once."
Simone Savary, Jessica Foran, and Irene Patrinos were named to the Tournament All-Star team. The McMaster Marauders, who defeated Ottawa in the semifinal, claimed the Monilex Trophy with a victory over the host Queen's Gaels.
