On the long weekend in October, UNBSJ’s newly formed women’s rugby team played their first ever game in their premier tournament. The tournament was hosted by St. Thomas University (STU) and featured experienced teams, such as the Moncton Black Tides and the Fredericton Loyalists.
The first game ever played by the UNBSJ women was against the Black Tides, a strong and established team who have won the last four New Brunswick Rugby League Championship titles. The game resulted in a 25-0 loss for UNBSJ, but they gained some valuable experience playing as a team for the first time.
In the second game of the weekend, UNBSJ faced off against the Loyalists. They were leading in the first half but the experience of the Fredericton team overpowered them in the second half of the game. Laurel Webster scored tries for UNBSJ and Kelsey Clifford is noted with a conversion. The final score was 25-17 for the Loyalists.
The final game of the weekend played by UNBSJ was against the host team, STU. By the end of the tournament, the UNBSJ women gained confidence playing as a new team and were starting to get comfortable with one another on the field. The final score of the game was 29-12 for STU, with tries scored by Kimberly Justason and Colleen MacLeod for UNBSJ. Conversion was also by MacLeod.
Despite three losses for UNBSJ’s women’s rugby, the girls gained some valuable experience on the field that will help them build a stronger, more cohesive team for the rest of the season and in the upcoming years.
