RECAP: #3 Gee-Gees earn place in U SPORTS National Championship with win over #8 Concordia
After a 19-0 win over Concordia on Matt Anthony Field, the Gee-Gees women's rugby team has secured their ninth consecutive appearance at the U SPORTS Women's Rugby National Championship.
While Ottawa had defeated Concordia 38-10 in their regular season meeting earlier this year, the Stingers came out with no lack of energy. Emma Wade scored the lone try in the opening half, and Aurora Bowie's convert gave the Gee-Gees a 7-0 lead going into halftime.
In the second half, the Gee-Gees pulled away. Wade scored her second try of the evening, and Leigha Stiles tapped down in the 71st minute.
"Concordia managed their kicking game really well and put us under pressure, but I thought we dealt with that well," said Gee-Gees head coach, Duncan McNaughton. "We want competition, it was a great test for us. They really challenged us, but we came out on top."
Before heading the national championship tournament, the Gee-Gees will face off against the Laval Rouge et Or for the RSEQ Championship. Ottawa and Laval have met in the RSEQ Championship game for last six seasons. The Rouge et Or have a five game win streak over the Gee-Gees in the championship game.
Earlier this season, Laval defeated Ottawa 12-10.
"Every time we play Laval it's an opportunity," said Ngozi Mosindi, a third year on the Gee-Gees squad. "We were really close in the first game, so we're getting set to hit them back with the same energy we had in the first game, but even better."
Regardless of the outcome, the Gee-Gees will head back to Quebec City for the U SPORTS National Championship from Nov. 1 through Nov. 5.
Ketsia Kamba, who leads the Gee-Gees with nine tries this season, expressed the team's desire to win the RSEQ Championship and make a run for the national championship.
"We've worked so hard from the off season until now, so we want it really bad," Kamba said. "We've really stuck together even with a new coach, a new program, and we still made it to the top. We're going to bring home the chip for [Ottawa]."