Great defence was the story of the night at Centennial Stadium on Friday, as the Ottawa Gee-Gees held on for a 7-5 victory over the Calgary Dinos in the CIS women's rugby championship semifinals. Ottawa now advances to the Championship Final on Sunday, November 6 at 3 p.m. local time in Victoria, B.C. (6 p.m. ET)
The tournament final will be webcast live at http://sportscanada.tv/usports/wrugby-live
A game that was decided by a single convert came down to the wire, as Calgary pushed and pushed to go ahead in the dying minutes. With the clock stopped at 70 minutes, the Dinos had multiple opportunities to break the Ottawa line but just couldn't cut through.
"We've got a defensive team-it's what we work on more than anything," said Ottawa head coach Jen Boyd. "The sacrifices these girls make for each other on and off the fieldâ?¦ it's been four years I've been with this program and I just told them, they're going to be the best Gee-Gees team in history ever no matter what happens in 48 hours."
Indeed, it will be Ottawa's first ever appearance in the national championship final for women's rugby after third and fourth place finishes in the last two seasons. The Gee-Gees are seeking the University of Ottawa's first national championship banner in any varsity sport since the 2000 Vanier Cup.
Early in the game it was the Dinos that showed off some impressive defence. The Gee-Gees had the early advantage, fighting their way to the line on multiple occasions, but time and time again the Dinos came up with clutch stops.
It wasn't until the 32nd minute that the Gee-Gees were able to put up any points, with Elizabeth Boudreault capitalizing after a number of pick-and-goes just before the half. Patricia Mandon made a key play to allow the score, recovering a kick by the Gee-Gees in good position within Calgary territory.
Emma Sandstrom made the convert for the Gee-Gees, firing a no-doubter from a spot slightly on the right side of the field through the uprights for what turned out to be the most important points of the night.
When Calgary found the try zone it came early in the second half and far out wide to the left, almost in the corner. That proved pivotal as the convert was unsuccessful from a nearly impossible angle.
For Ottawa, Emily Gray was called upon to close out the game at scrum-half after Taylor Donato left the match with an arm injury. The Gee-Gees had already lost starting scrum half, Erin McCallan, early in Friday's quarter-final against McMaster game. Gray, a second-year Economics student from Orleans, Ont. showed poise and determination, calling upon her own memories of Ottawa's semifinal disappointment in 2015.
"Losing in this game last year was really the fire under my butt and I know for Alex [Ellis] and Simone [Savary] it's the same," said Gray. "I'm so proud of everyone and we've worked so hard. I have a great coaching staff and all the girls are behind me so we'll be ready to play on Sunday."
RSEQ All-Star Emily Babcock summed up the defensive approach for Ottawa. "The closer the game, the more you realize how much you trust each other. We didn't give up and we had each others' backs out there. If even one person had given up their job, Calgary could have easily come back and won. We stuck to our jobs, stayed focussed and came up strong."
