PREVIEW: #5 women’s rugby faces Ravens at home for spot at National Championship

Photo: Tim Austen
Photo: Tim Austen
October 12, 2022

Friday, October 14

For the first time, Ottawa and Carleton will meet in the RSEQ women's rugby playoffs. 

After not squaring off during the 2021 season, the two Ottawa-based institutions will meet twice in 2022. The first matchup decisively favoured the Gee-Gees, but the Ravens will get a second crack at the fifth-ranked squad from the University of Ottawa.

It's an all-Ottawa affair for a spot in the U SPORTS National Championship; the Gee-Gees are aiming to return to the National Championship for the eighth straight season, while Carleton is looking for their first berth at the national tournament. 

OTTAWA GAME NOTES 

  • The Gee-Gees faced their stiffest test of the season in the third-ranked Laval Rouge et Or last week. The match was within two points with 15 minutes to go, but the Rouge et Or pulled away to win 32-22 and cap their regular season undefeated.
  • Claire Gallagher wrapped up the regular season as the team's leader in scoring for the second consecutive campaign. The Caledon, Ont., product's 66 total points (three tries, 24 converts, one penalty) was tied for third in conference scoring.
  • Dating back to 2013, Ottawa is 13-1 in night games at Matt Anthony Field (games starting at 6:00 p.m. or later). The lone time the team lost "under the lights" during that stretch was to Queen's in the 2019 U SPORTS National Championship semi-final.

CARLETON GAME NOTES

  • Major stat leaders
    • Tries: Maya Addai – 12
    • Converts: Vanessa Chiappetta – 16
    • Penalties: Vanessa Chiappetta – 3
  • Carleton moved into third spot in the conference standings thanks to a 48-13 win over Concordia last weekend.
  • The regular season meeting between the two Ottawa-based schools did not go well for the Ravens, who fell 54-3.
  • The team's leader scorer, Maya Addai, missed the aforementioned regular season matchup. Addai missed two games this season, but still managed to finish tied for the league lead with 12 tries. 

Tickets for the crucial matchup are on sale at tickets.geegees.ca. The game will be streamed on the Gee-Gees YouTube channel, with live updates provided on the women's rugby Twitter account @GeeGeesWRUG.