LANCERS WIN BRONZE IN OCAA WOMEN'S RUGBY 7S
The Loyalist Lancers are the 2023 OCAA women's rugby 7s bronze medalists.
As tournament hosts and the 4th place team heading into the Championships, the Lancers played in front of a rambunctious home crowd full of friends, family and local rugby fans on Saturday, October 28th.
The team started the day off with the opening match against the 5th place Humber Hawks. Elayna Reid, a third year veteran and OCAA League All-Star scored two tries for the Lancers while first year teammate, fellow League All-Star and OCAA Rookie of the Year, Ryan Fitzgerald, got across the line for one of her own. The Hawks scored a try and booted a successful convert but the Lancers rolled to a 15-7 win and made their way into a semi final matchup against the Durham Lords. Reid was named Player of the Game for the Lancers for her incredible performance in the match.
The Lancers played a tough game and worked hard but couldn't outpace the 1st place Durham Lords in their second game of the day. After dropping the match 32-0, the Lancers set their sights on a bronze medal. Veteran Lancer Paige O'Brien earned the nod for Player of the Game for her incredible tackling and grit throughout the entire game.
Matching up against the 3rd place Algonquin Wolves in the bronze medal game, the Lancers came out of the gates strong but it was the Wolves who drew first blood. After missing the convert, the Wolves 5-0 lead was short lived when first year Lancer Sarah Fielding drove her way through the defence and got her team on the board. Fitzgerald made the convert to give the Lancers a 2-point lead.
The Wolves answered back to go up 10-7 but the Lancers weren't ready to throw in the towel. First year Lancer Ana Suurdt scored in the final moments of the game to give the Lancers a 12-10 lead to earn the win and become OCAA Women's Rugby 7s Bronze Medalists.
For her impressive performance throughout the entire tournament, Suurdt was recognized as one of 6 Championship All-Stars.
The Lancers showed consistent improvement over the course of the year and came through as a team when it counted. Their performance and team cohesion came together in their last regular season tournament and peaked at exactly the right time – the championship tournament.
Congratulations to the players, coaching staff & therapy staff who contributed to an incredibly successful season.