RECAP: Gee-Gees advance to U SPORTS semi-final with win over the Gryphons,
The University of Ottawa women's rugby team got their start at the U SPORTS National Championship tournament with a quarterfinal matchup with the Guelph Gryphons.
Hitting the grass at Canada Games Alumni Field at 1 p.m. to kick off the tournament, the Gee-Gees kicked the ball to the OUA champions to start the contest.
A series of penalties allowed the Gryphons to advance up the field quickly, eventually breaking through the Gee-Gees defence to log the first try of the game at the 10 minute mark.
Great reads from Julia Latremouille got the Gee-Gees out of trouble more than once, but the highlight of the opening half was the dominance of Ottawa's scrum.
Ottawa was able to move the ball up the field with ease but turned the ball over within ten yards of the endzone four times in the first half. With only seconds left to play, Alysia Comtois managed to get points on the board for the Gee-Gees.
At halftime, the Gryphons led the Gee-Gees 7-5.
The Gee-Gees came out flying in the second half, finding the try zone in the opening two minutes. Sydney Noseworthy snuck in the try zone to establish the first Gee-Gees lead.
Quickly following Noseworthy's try, Ngozi Mosindi broke through for a huge gain to get Ottawa right back into the endzone. This time, Marley Magnussen punched the ball through to make it a 17-7 lead.
The Gryphons wasted no time responding to the Gee-Gees third try, cutting the lead to 17-12.
Guelph continued to put pressure on Ottawa, but they couldn't make their way into the endzone.
Alysia Comtois earned player of the game honours for the Gee-Gees, scoring one try and making crucial plays on both side of the ball.
"Winning this game means so much to me," Comtois said. "We've put in a lot of hard work throughout the season. Our team has an incredible bond and this win is a result of what we can accomplish together through perseverance and trust."
The Gee-Gees took the 17-12 win, advancing to the semi-final round. The game will be played against UBC on Thursday at 1 p.m. Atlantic time.